Sleep Deprivation, Disorders, and Drugs Essay

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Sleep Deprivation, Disorders, and Drugs
Andrea Cota
PSY/240
April 6, 2014
Marie Dube’

Many people have the occasional sleepless nights. I can remember a time when I was not able to get but a couple of hours of sleep one night. On this particular night I was extremely nervous due to a big test the next day. The next day I had my diploma test; this meant that if I did not pass the test I would not receive my diploma. The next morning I wasn’t feeling the best or preforming the best either. I was extremely irritated this was causing me to lose my patience and become aggravated over something so simple. During the test I was unable to focus as much as I could have with the right amount of sleep. The whole day I felt really sluggish and I am sure that my reflexes had slowed down significantly. I was surprised that I did as well as I did and was a little discouraged because I knew that if I had gotten the right amount of sleep I would have done better. My experience was just an example of what can happen if the amount of sleep that the body desires is not reached. I have heard many people describe some of the same affect and experiences as I have when they did not receive ample amount of sleep. I have also had individuals explain they had dizziness, confusion, and even hallucinations, however this does not happen to everyone whom experiences sleep loss. The difference in effects of 4 hours to 64 hours of sleep loss was not much. This means that the effects of sleep loss after a certain amount does not increase in the symptoms experienced. I have experience some of the same effects from sleep loss that is listed in the text. I first started working the 11 pm-7 am shift two years ago and I stayed up for two days to try to get adjusted to the schedule. During this time I was fine when I was kept busy with my nightly duties but as soon as I sat down for break I would fall asleep. This is one thing that the text stated would happen. The next day when I laid down to get sleep I expected to sleep up until I had to go to work again, however, I only sleep for 12 hours and felt like I was fully caught up in sleep. The text states that your body will not have to sleep the full amount of sleep that was lost to feel fulfilled. The effects of long-term sleep reduction includes: body temperature reduction, higher blood pressure, a decrease in the immune system, hormonal changes, and metabolic changes. This means that the body temperature will be lowered which can cause tension on the body. Higher blood pressure can let to a stroke, heart disease, and/or heart attack. If your immune system decreases then this poses a higher chance to develop a virus or worse a disease, which can result in death. Hormonal changes causes you to have difficulty reproducing or sexual performance. Metabolic issues can cause you to
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