Sleep Deprivation Effects on Shift Workers - Research Paper Example

 Sleep Deprivation Effects on Shift Workers Abstract Just like food and water, sleep is an essential requirement in a life of an individual. Arguably, insufficient sleep, disruption to the sleep-wake cycle often occurring during travelling to different places, or general inadequate quality of sleeping time greatly affect how individuals function in the day time. This paper outline the causes, symptoms, effects, human factors, behavioral issues and effect on work Performance, as well as health effects associated with sleep deprivation. It also seeks to discuss the sleep deprivation effects on family, social life, as well as improved sleep deprivation. Introduction According to Alhola and Päivi (2007), sleep deprivation is a term often used to describe a state that is caused by inadequate quality or quantity of sleep. This includes involuntary or voluntary sleeplessness, as well as the circadian rhythm sleep disorder. Sleep deprivation may be acute or chronic. The chronic sleep-restricted state might cause fatigue, clumsy, weight gain or weight loss, and daytime sleepiness. According to Smith (1992), complete absence of sleep for reasonably longer period of time cannot be achieved by humans unless such individuals suffer from a fatal familial insomnia. Sleep deprivation can lead to death (Smith, 1992). It is worth noting that a sleepy fatigued individual is judgment impaired, accident prone, and has increased like-hood of making mistakes and erroneous decisions than an individual who does not have such a problem (Smith, 1992). Causes of Sleep Deprivation There are issues closely linked to sleep deprivation. These include illness, work, personal choice, medication, sleep disorders, poor hygiene, the sleeping environment, and toddlers, babies and older babies, stress, and school life (Alhola & Päivi, 2007). Personal Choice/ Voluntary There are persons who fail to recognize that the body requires adequate sleep, therefore, they do not obey the regular program of going to bed at reasonable hours instead they choose to stay up late socializing reading a book or TV programs (Piegel & Leproult, 1999). . This clearly implies that sleep deprivation can be self-imposed because of lack of desires to sleep or the habitual use of some simulating drugs such cocaine, or amphetamines. Research has indicated that sleep deprivation often produces a similar effect on the brain to that of the SSRI among persons with depression, therefore, ensuring a self-imposed and clinical remedy. Sleep deprivation can be self-imposed in achieving personal fame within the context of the record-breaking stunts (Smith, 1992). Illness There are specific illnesses for instance tonsillitis and colds that can lead to snoring frequent waking gagging, and have a direct effect on sleep (Smith, 1992). This they do by fragmenting sleep. Mental illnesses are the most associative illnesses. Specific causal relationship between sleep effects and sleep loss on the psychiatric disorders has been extensively studied among patients with certain mood disorders (Smith, 1992). It has been found out that shifts into mania among the bipolar patients are preceded by insomnia. Sleep deprivation has been found to cause a manic state in individuals who are susceptible (Smith, 1992). Sleep deprivation represents a final pathway in the start of mania, as well as sleep loss is a reinforcing and precipitating factor for mania state. Work Individuals who take part in shift related jobs find themselves disrupting their sleep-wake cycles regularly (Smith, 1992). This in particular affects most frequent travelers such as airline crew) who tend to operate on erratic sleeping patterns. Sleep Disorder There are problems such as periodic limp movement, snoring and sleep apnea disorders that can disturb the sleep cycle often many times at night (Seven, Karabulut et al. 2004). Sleep apnea or obstructive sleep apnea is a disorder, which is associated with collapsing of the upper airways in the course of sleep. This causes a reduction in airflow into the lungs. If untreated, the disorder causes serious health outcomes though it can be treated with a somewhat positive air pressure therapy (Smith, 1992). Certain nasal problems involving a deviated septum shuts down the airways thereby increasing the swelling of the mucus lining, as well as the nasal turbinate’s. The use of a corrective surgery can help correct the feedback loop and airflow to the brain that helps awaken the sufferer (Smith, 1992). As can be shown, central sleep apnea causes repeated stops in a breathing system during sleeping whenever the brain happens to temporarily stops sending signals to those muscles that are in control of breathing. Medications There are some of the drugs often used in treating disorders such for instance drugs for treating attention or epilepsy deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which can cause insomnia (Newman et al. 2005). The sleeping environment Sleep might also be disrupted given a range of various environmental reasons (Newman, et al. 2005). Poor Sleep Hygiene There are some people’s habits that are disruptive (Seven, Karabulut et al. 2004). For instance, smoking a cigarette or drinking coffee close to bedtime can stimulate the nervous system thus making sleep less likely. Moreover, lying in bed with lots of worries, rather than relaxing can end up causing sleep deprivation. Babies, Older Babies and Toddlers Research has shown that parents with children are meant to experience sleep deprivation because of the young children who wake up frequently at night for comfort or comfort (Newman et al. 2005). Research has shown that stress may causes sleep deprivation. Running short sleep tends to lower threshold for stress perception. According to Siegel (2003) lack of sleep augment stress and it is true that stress itself leads to inadequate sleep. Research has shown that there are stress hormones that are stimulating among the middle-aged men. This follows an over-activation of stress response system in the later hours of an evening. Studies show that individuals who sleep soundly during stress have increased focus on tasks with those that respond to stress through losing sleep reported having the ability of maintaining their focus on their own rolling emotions (Newman et al. 2005). In cultures that simultaneously value distraction and productivity, cause people to experience sleep deprivation. It seems easy to view the idea of losing few hours of sleep something that is okay (Seven, Karabulut et al. 2004). However, it is worth noting that the lost hours often build up forming a sleep debt. Following several days of inadequate rest, one begins to have muddled thoughts, seeing things that do not exist and getting upset concerning trial matters. This signifies sleep deprivation. Research by the National Sleep Foundation found out that university or college students spend about 6.8 hours of sleep each night Alhola & Päivi, 2007). This study showed that sleep deprivation is a common practice among the first year university students given that they have to adjust to social activities and stress of a college life. Research conducted by the National Chung Cheng University in the department of Psychology found out that freshmen in colleges tend to receive shortest amount of sleep in a week (Siegel, 2003). Another research conducted by the University of Minnesota in which students who happened to attend school at 8:40 a.m. comparing to those who went to school at about 7:15 a.m. This showed that those who went to school at 8:40 a.m. recorded higher grades and had more sleep on the nights of a weekday (Smith, 1992). This study indicated that 1 out of 4 U.S.A high school students accepts that he or she fell asleep while in class once a week. Research as well indicates that during adolescence, the circadian rhythms and hence sleep patterns undergo marked changes (Siegel, 2003). This research indicates that a 50 percent reduction of deep sleep and a 75 percent reduction in peak amplitude of the delta waves during the NREM sleep during adolescence (Siegel, 2003). According to these studies, school schedules are incompatible with the corresponding delays in sleep offset and this leads to a somewhat less than optimal amount of sleep for most of the adolescents. Symptoms of Sleep Deprivation It is true that the multiple symptoms of sleep deprivation affecting people’s brains and bodies (Seven, Karabulut et al. 2004). For instance, sleep deprivation can lead to potentially life threatening situations, domestic unhappiness, and career shortcomings. The question in this case, is what are the prominent signs that one may be sleep deprived? There are symptoms of sleep deprivation among adults and among the children group (Siegel, 2003). Symptoms of Sleep Deprivation among the Adults Groups As far as adults are concerned, symptoms of sleep deprivation include grogginess while waking up in the morning, constant yawning, mood changes and poor concentration, sleep grogginess often experienced all day long or sleep inertia, and the tendency to feel like dozing off when one is not active, for instance when watching a TV (Smith, 1992). Symptoms of Sleep Deprivation among Children Research indicate that sleep deprivation often affect children in various ways. It is noted that sleepy children have a tendency of speeding up rather than slowing down (Smith, 1992). Therefore, symptoms of sleep deprivation among children include irritability and moodiness, daytime naps, temper tantrums, hyperactive behavior and over-activity, reluctance to get out the bed during mornings, as well as the tendency to emotionally be activated at any slightest provocation (Smith, 1992). Health Effects of Sleep Deprivation Sleep deprivation is reported to have a number of health effects. These include diabetes type 2, effect on brains, high blood pressure, effect on growth, impairment of ability and attention and the working memory, metabolic impairment, cardiac depressed immune system functioning, as well as fatigue (Siegel, 2003). According to the study conducted in 2005, participants who deem to habitually sleep few hours are more likely to be associated with diabetes type 2 (Piegel, K. & Leproult, 1999). A study conducted by UCS School in San Diego, while using a functional magnetic resonance imaging technology (FMRI) in monitoring activities taking place inside the brains of the sleep-deprived individuals with the ability to perform some simple verbal learning task, found out that sleep deprivation has an adverse effect on the brain, as well as cognitive function (Alhola & Päivi, 2007). According to this study, some regions of the brain's prefrontal cortex, which is an area tasked with supporting mental activities such as practical reasoning, logic and working memory displayed a somewhat more activity among the sleeper individuals. From this result, the researcher noted that the brains for an average sleep-deprived individual need to work harder compared to an average non sleep-deprived individual working on a similar job (Alhola & Päivi, 2007). Therefore, it was concluded that brains of a sleep-deprived individual has to always work in a way as to compensate for adverse effects by sleep deprivation. As concerns the effects of deprived sleep on growth research show that sleep deprivation causes a reduction in cortisol secretion, which is often driven by an increase in the subsequent slow-wave sleep (Morin, 2003). Moreover, studies have indicated that sleep deprivation enhances the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis that is known for controlling reactions to stress for purposes of regulating some body functions such as mood, sex, immune system, digestion and in the event, suppresses the growth of hormones (Seven, Karabulut et al. 2004). By and large, sleep deprivation has an effect on working memory, as well on attention. As widely cited, among the physical consequences often associated with sleep deprivation, deficits in the working memory and attention are the most essential and such lapse in mundane routine can easily cause unfortunate results (Seven, Karabulut et al. 2004). Attention lapses can also extent into critical domains for which consequences can be either death or life. Lapses in attention often attributed to sleep deprivation might lead to industrial disasters and car crashes (Seven, Karabulut et al. 2004). For purposes of measuring deficits in attention, the psychomotor vigilance task in which a person has to press a button when responding to some light at pseudo-random intervals is employed. In this case failure to press the button in responding to stimulus light is recorded to be an error (Seven, Karabulut et al. 2004). Human Factor of Sleep Deprivation The key human factor associated with sleep deprivation is fatigue (Morin, 2003). Sleep deprivation individual are associated with clumsy behavior, and their decision making is relatively poor and such bad inclined decisions cause problems (Morin, 2003). Moreover, staying alert is obviously hard and the personal productivity is destroyed completely. As often is the case, the mental ability and performance is more often than not, pretty much clumsy (Morin, 2003). This causes horrific implications on the individual’s performance. All these are attributed to fatigue. Behavioral Issues and Effect on Work Performance Sleep deprivation has a great impact not only to an individual’s behavior but also to an individuals’ work performance. Studies have increasingly indicated that sleep deprivation causes certain psychological effects: long term and short term (Seven, Karabulut et al. 2004). The initial effects include memory loss, drowsiness, irritability, as well as drowsiness. An individual might experience blurred vision in case he or she is subject to chronic sleep deprivation (Seven, Karabulut et al. 2004). Research indicates that in case of a continued sleep deprivation, a person can suffer from metal effects such as nausea, mania and hallucinations. Hallucination is often associated with the 1-function, which is a system that helps in investigating the inputs of other areas of the brain. In this case, when the neurons that compose 1-function are meant to be too relaxed, then the picture within the head produced by the 1-function might be somewhat more dissimilar from the reality than usual (Seven, Karabulut et al. 2004). Through this the neurons are subjected to pressure to keep functioning but they would not be as such able to function optimally. This ends up creating certain images that make an individual to observe most of the surroundings. Sleep deprivation does not only make a person to experience behavioral risks but also increases his or her risks of work accidents, as well as motor vehicle accidents. In this regard, sleep deprivation has been noted decrease one’s work productivity. According to Newman, et al. (2005) sleep is one of the physiological requirements for one’s survival. According to this research, sleep deprivation leads to reduced performance of work, and, in case there is insufficient sleep to cover performance, brains are forced to find a way of acquiring the amount of sleep it requires (Seven & Karabulut et al. 2004). This results into ineffectiveness at work. Moreover, when the brain is subjected to fatigue, its awakening state becomes unstable (Newman et al. 2005). This causes it to lapse allowing the micro sleeps to end up interrupting performance. For cases where the interruption fails to come at a specific opportune time like it is always the case, the returns are the work accidents (Newman et al. 2005). It has also been noted that for persons who are tired, they tend to impair their recognition of fatigue and the impacts of fatigue on performance (Newman et al. 2005). Sleep Deprivation Effects on Family Sleep deprivation affects families as well. As widely cited, sleep deprived parents tend to experience reduced performance in their family (Smith, 1992). Sleep deprivation has been associated with unhappiness in a marriage or a relationship given that most individuals are subject to being out of mood for socializing and interacting freely with their family members (Smith, 1992). Individuals affected with sleep deprivation find it harder socializing, concentrating, and paying attention to their work, as well as their roles in a family. Creativity, as well as the abstract thinking is also heavily impacted (Smith, 1992). Sleep Deprivation Impact on Social Life Sleep deprivation does impact negatively on one’s social life. Recent studies have indicated that sleep deprivation has an impact on relationships (Siegel, 2003). In particular, there are cases where the messed up sleeping patterns of one partner disturb the sleep of the other partner. Moreover, there is reduced performance for a parent who is affected by sleep deprivation. More often than not, sleep deprivation leads to unhappiness in a marriage or a relationship given that most individuals are subject to being out of mood for socializing. By and large, sleep deprivation cause the working relationships to be strained. Research indicates that individuals experiencing sleep deprivation tend to have reduced patience with colleagues and have much less abilities to compromise and negotiate (Smith, 1992). Improved Sleep Deprivation It is worth noting that the body cannot function properly without it having adequate sleep. Research indicates that people require around 7 to 8 hours daily for peak performance and maximum health (Siegel, 2003). As highlighted above, virtually all the symptoms experienced by people are, to a certain degree, attributed to sleep deprivation. In this regard, it is possible to lessen problems such as fatigue, weakness, pain, mood disorders, and headaches through getting the proper amount of rest. There is the need to consider investigating issues to do with nutrition, lifestyles, as well as stress management with a view to pinpoint the causes of poor sleep symptoms. Conclusion Sleep deprivation is a term often used to describe a state that is caused by inadequate quality or quantity of sleep. This includes involuntary or voluntary sleeplessness, as well as the circadian rhythm sleep disorder. Causes of sleep deprivation include illness, work, personal choice, medication, sleep disorders, poor hygiene, the sleeping environment, and toddlers, babies and older babies, stress, and school life. Symptoms of sleep deprivation include grogginess while waking up in the morning, constant yawning, mood changes and poor concentration, sleep grogginess often experienced all day long or sleep inertia, and the tendency to feel like dozing off when one is not active, for instance when watching a TV. It is also worthwhile noting that sleep deprivation impacts on family, as well as social life. Generally, there is the need to decipher the existing differences between broken sleep and difficulty falling asleep. In case one experiences broken sleep, there is a need for him or her to start investigating the cause. References Alhola, P & Päivi P. (2007). Sleep deprivation: Impact on cognitive performance. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat 3 (5): 553–567. Morin, M. (2003). Insomnia. New York: Plenum Publ. Newman, et al. (2005). Association of sleep time with diabetes mellitus and impaired glucose tolerance. London: John and Sons. Piegel, K. & Leproult, E. (1999). Impact of sleep debt on metabolic and endocrine function. The Lancet 354 (9188): 1435–9. Siegel, J. (2003). Why we sleep. New York: Oxford. Smith, P. (1992). Handbook of human performance. London: Acad. Press. Seven, B., Karabulut et al. (2004). Effects of sleep deprivation, nicotine, and selenium on wound healing in humans. London: John and Sons. Read More