Part A
Sleep patterns for humans have changed over the past centuries, even when the need for sleep has remained consistent. During various periods throughout history, individuals have gone made increased efforts to make sleep more comfortable and safer or incorporating sleep into their lives in a lesser or greater level. Many ideas about sleep have evolved from culture to culture and in response to the development of scientific comprehension. The history of sleep dates back to 450 BC where a Greek physician Alcameon suggested that sleep was a period of unconsciousness caused by lack of circulation to the brain due to the blood draining from the body surface. Later in 162 AD was when Galen identified the brain to be responsible for consciousness rather than the heart. During the age of enlightenment, scientific experts began the practice of interpreting dreams. By the 1800s, excessive sleep was regarded as a mark of laziness. Sleep and Wakefulness published by Nathaniel Kleitman in 1939 was a culmination of many years of research covering sleep research, sleep disorders, sleep-wake cycles, and body changes during sleep (Hershner & Chervin, 2014 p. 73). In the 1980s, scientists made a connection between the duration of sleep and the circadian rhythm. The link between sleep and learning was researched and the total physiological need of sleep to life was confirmed.
Sleep deprivation is a common problem among students and can affect a student’s physical and mental health. Past research has evaluated variations in sleep patterns including the quality of sleep, number of hours slept, sleep and wake times and found a link with cognitive impairments, poor health and performance. Most students often have irregular sleep patterns meaning that sleep times are out of alignment. Irregular sleep patterns may involve sleeping off and on in a series of naps during the day and night, having a hard time sleeping well or feeling sleepy when awake, having no regular pattern of when they sleep or awake and have total sleep time that is not usual for their age. Cultural values have an influence on sleep practices and attitudes. Cultural variations in terms of sleeping locations and sleeping partners in different societies and traditions have influenced the timing, duration and regularity of sleep. A study carried out in 2009 indicated that the average French person sleeps about 9 hours in one night, while Americans and Spaniards sleep for 8.5 hours in a night (Williams et al., 2015 p. 28). A recent study explored sleep related practices and beliefs in white and black participants. The black participants in the study were likely to report snoring and were characterized by huge differences between perceived need and sleep duration. Black participants reported sleep hygiene problems and indicated beliefs that suggest less comprehension of the importance of good sleep for health, although most participants reported that lack of sleep caused negative repercussions on health conditions. Both black and white participants reported that they did not discuss sleep problems with their healthcare providers (Williams et al. 2015 p. 29). However the study indicated that black participants were more likely to discuss health issues with clergy, elders and healers in the society.
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Part B
Sleep plays key physical and behavioral functions. Acute sleep deprivation causes rapid progressive multi-organ failure and death in human beings. Sleep has been considered a recovery phase that prepares the body for the next day of wakefulness. Cell division is rapid during non-REM sleep and has a key function on the immune system. Quality sleep and getting enough of it at the right time is as key to survival as water and food. Without sleep it is impossible to maintain the pathways that ley an individual establish new memories. Sleep is key to several brain functions including how nerve cell communicate with each other. Human beings spend about one-third of their lives in sleeping and absence of sleep cause physiological consequences. There are two types of sleep non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and rapid eye-movement (REM) sleep. The stages of NREM sleep are linked with unique brain activity and physiology. Stage 1 sleep plays a transitional role in sleep-stage cycling and lasts about 1 to 7 minutes in the initial cycle, involving two to five percent of total sleep and is easily interrupted (Owens & Adolescents Sleep Working Group, 2014). Stage 2 of sleep lasts about 10 to 25 minutes in the initial cycle and increases with each successive cycle, eventually involving 45 to 45 percent of total sleep. Stage 3 and 4 are referred to as slow-wave sleep, most of this occurs in the first third of the night. The last NREM stage is 4 th which lasts approximately 20 to 40 minutes in the initial cycle and constitutes about ten to fifteen percent of sleep. Sleep deprivation affects cognitive processes in a significant manner. A study conducted on 23 test subjects who spent 6.5 days in a controlled environment (Zhang et al. 2017 p. 239). One group was awake for two nights while the other was on a normal sleep schedule. During the experiment, the subjects were tested three times for executive function tasks that allow significant executive function to be tested differently from nonexecutive components of cognition. The task measured executive functions as working memory scanning efficacy, resistance to interference and aspects of fluency.
Some of the benefits of sleep include sharpened attention, enhanced memory, and low stress levels. The three stages of memory are acquisition where the information is introduced to the brain, consolidation where the memory is aligned and the final stage is where the stored information is accessed. The acquisition and recall stages happen when individuals are awake and consolidation happens when we are asleep. When individuals are asleep the brain consolidates and organizes memories which aid in remembering what we learnt. Sleep deprivation causes irritability consequently leading to negative reactions to minor interruptions. A survey from the American Psychological Association also indicated that adults who slept for less than eight hours were more likely to report symptoms of stress than those who slept for eight or more hours (Owens & Adolescents Sleep Working Group, 2014). The more tired an individual is the more difficult it is to focus on something.
Part C
Some of the causes of sleep deprivation include, the environment, study commitments and voluntary behavior. Behaviorally stimulated insufficiently sleep syndrome is a sleep disorder linked with chronic sleep deprivation caused by a voluntary pastern of limited sleep. This happens when people are unaware that their bodies have higher demands of sleep and they choose to remain awake or enjoy certain activities. The use of stimulants affects sleep (Williams et al., 2015 p. 28) For instance some individuals might consume caffeine or alcohol too close to bedtime which can decrease the possibility of falling asleep. Four out of five college students drink alcohol with about 40 percent of men and women reporting binge drinking within the last 14 days (Williams et al., 2015 p. 28). Alcohol often reduces sleep latency but then enhances fragmented sleep in the last part of the night. A study found that 11.6 percent of students drank alcohol as a sleep aid (Hershner & Chervin, 2014 p. 73). Alcohol also increases the risk for obstructive sleep apnea. Certain environments are more likely to restrict natural sleep-wake cycles of the body consequently leading to sleep deprivation. Tight school schedules can make it difficult to get the necessary amount of sleep, leading to deprivation. The pressure to succeed in school and earn good grades is often overwhelming for students. The use of devices such as cellphones, laptops and tablets during sleep time are associated with poor quality of sleep. The 2011 Sleep in America Poll addressed technology availed in the bedroom (Hershner & Chervin, 2014 p. 6) Adults aged between 19 and 29 years are heavy users of technology before bed. More than 50 percent indicate getting a good night sleep and often wake unrefreshed. Playing video games before bedtime can enhance sleep latency averaging to 21.6 minutes. Most students are apart from their parents for the first time in all their lives and might not know how to utilize their time hence spending late nights socializing rather than sleep. Some of the internal causes of sleep deprivation include sleep disorders and expectations. A survey conducted on 1,845 students suggested that 27% were at risk of one sleep disorder or sleep-related issues including insomnia (12%), obstructive sleep apnea (4%), restless leg syndrome and periodic limb movement (8%) (Hershner & Chervin, 2014 p. 6) Obstructive sleep apnea is linked with significant sleepiness. The prevalence of snoring is increased as 30% of non-overweight students in a California school reported snoring (Hershner & Chervin, 2014 p. 6). Most students are overwhelmed by personal expectations and expectations from parents and school. The quest to fulfill these expectations might lead to overworking and consequently sleep deprivation.
References
Hershner, S. D., & Chervin, R. D. (2014). Causes and consequences of sleepiness among college students. Nature and science of sleep , 6 , 73.
Owens, J., & Adolescent Sleep Working Group. (2014). insufficient sleep in adolescents and young adults: an update on causes and consequences. Pediatrics , peds-2014.
Williams, N. J., Grandner, M. A., Snipes, S. A., Rogers, A., Williams, O., Airhihenbuwa, C., & Jean-Louis, G. (2015). Racial/ethnic disparities in sleep health and health care: importance of the sociocultural context. Sleep Health: Journal of the National Sleep Foundation , 1 (1), 28-35.
Zhang, M., Tillman, D. A., & An, S. A. (2017). Global prevalence of sleep deprivation in students and heavy media use. Education and Information Technologies , 22 (1), 239-254.
