Sleep Deprivation Effects

Sleep deprivation effects range from poor job performance to heart disease.  Read below to learn more about just a few of the effects of sleep deprivation.

Job Performance
The impact of sleep deprivation on job performance costs businesses thousands of dollars every year. Some of the effects of sleep deprivation include:

• Loss of concentration and daydreaming in meetings or while on the job
• Inability to remember tasks and information
• Excessive yawning
• Impatience with coworkers and vendors
• Feeling stiff
• Heavy eyes
• Slowed reaction time

These not only result in job absenteeism and poor job performance, but they can also contribute to occupational injuries, accidents and other safety hazards.

Reflexes

Without adequate sleep, reflexes slow down. This can be very dangerous as slowed reflexes mean impaired reaction times. When driving or operating machinery, impaired reflexes can cause accidents. 

Depression

Depression is often associated with symptoms of insomnia or sleep deprivation. Insomnia is, in fact, one of the most common warning signs of depression. However sometimes it is the insomnia that was there first. Often what happens is that a person becomes so overtired due to daily sleep deprivation that normal day to day responsibilities can seem overwhelming. Dispair and hopelessness set in and can push a person into a full blown depression.

Determining whether depression is an effect of insomnia or whether pre-existing insomnia causes depression can be challenging. If insomnia is causing depression, the root cause of the sleep disturbance must be found for successful treatment.

Hypertension and Heart Disease

Research has shown that one of the serious effects of sleep deprivation is high blood pressure. Blood pressure is a measure of how hard the blood pushes against the walls of the arteries as it moves through the body. It's normal for blood pressure to go up and down throughout the day, but if it stays up, this condition is called high blood pressure or hypertension.

When blood pressure is high, it starts to damage the blood vessels, heart and kidneys. This can lead to heart attack, stroke and other problems. High blood pressure is called a "silent killer" because it doesn't usually cause symptoms while it is causing this damage.

Sheldon G. Sheps, M.D., in a recent article for the Mayo Clinic, says that recent studies suggest that sleep deprivation may increase the risk of hypertension.

An October 2007 study in the medical journal Hypertension suggests that women who routinely sleep fewer than seven hours a night may have an increased risk of developing high blood pressure. The study followed 10,300 adults between the ages of 35 and 55 for five years. When compared with women who typically slept seven hours each night, women who slept six hours a night were 42 percent more likely to develop high blood pressure. Women who routinely slept no more than five hours had a 31 percent higher risk. The study didn't show a relationship between sleep deprivation and high blood pressure in men.

A May 2006 report also published in Hypertension further suggests that long-term sleep deprivation increases the risk of hypertension. Researchers analyzed data for 4,810 participants, who were between the ages of 32 and 86 years old. Among participants between the ages of 32 and 59 years, those who slept less than six hours a night had more than double the risk of high blood pressure than did those who slept more than six hours a night. This association was not significant in participants older than 59 years.

According to some researchers, people who sleep for only short periods — less than six hours a night — increase their average 24-hour blood pressure and heart rate. Over time, this may lead to persistent high blood pressure.

Additional studies are needed to better understand the role of sleep deprivation in high blood pressure, Dr. Sheps said, but these studies suggest that increasing the amount and quality of sleep may play a role in the treatment and prevention of high blood pressure.

Irritability

Irritability is one of the emotional effects of sleep deprivation. You know you‘re tired. You‘re yawning and can barely keep your eyes open. However, you probably don‘t notice the changes in your mood that affect not only you, but also those around you. Missing sleep repeatedly affects every part of your life -- from relationships with friends, to your ability to concentrate at school or work, to your overall mood. Many who miss sleep suffer with irritability, mood swings, and even depression. In fact, one of the first effects of sleep deprivation is irritability. You feel cranky and short tempered.

If you or someone you love is feeling the physical and emotional effects of sleep deprivation. See a physical or sleep specialist for professional diagnosis and treatment.

Disclaimer: Statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These statements and products are not intended to diagnose, treat and cure or prevent disease.