Sleep is one of the most important yet seemingly overlooked factors in human health. Many factors can have a role in people not getting enough sleep, such as work schedules, school, technology, travel, and many more. These elements all have the ability to influence a person’s sleep and wake cycle, as they can cause a person to change what time they go to bed or wake up in the morning. The sleep wake cycle in a human can also be referred to as “circadian rhythm,” which according to Dictionary.com as the 24-hour period of biological activity in animals that can be determined or altered by variations of the environment. This is important to human health as a human’s body functions in relation to the circadian rhythm and environment, so disruptions of it can cause many detrimental effects and should not be overlooked.
The article, Sleep deprivation affects nearly half of American adults, study finds, published by Sandee LaMotte discusses how many Americans are affected by lack of sleep and what factors play into sleep deprivation. First, LaMotte analyzed the study that was conducted to examine how many Americans fell victim to sleep deprivation. The study concluded that about one in ten adults in America have sleep debt of two hours or more, and that approximately thirty percent of adults had an hour of sleep debt (LaMotte, 2022). Additionally, this article states that increased risk of health issues such as heart disease, obesity, dementia, and mood disorders can be linked to sleep debt or irregular sleep duration in humans (LaMotte, 2022). Thus, many people in America are not getting enough sleep which could play a role in health issues in the future. Furthermore, LaMotte discusses how “social jet lag,” timing of sleep based on society, is one of the major factors that play a role in Americans going to sleep at night. Especially due to how advanced technology is, many people spend more time at night on their computer, phone, tablet, etc., and the light from those devices could alter a person’s internal clock. If there is a big enough alteration of that internal clock, a person’s circadian rhythm can be disrupted, which could then lead to negative health effects. LaMotte states in her study that effects of social jet lag could lead to insomnia, excessive sleepiness, daytime fatigue, or even some gastrointestinal issues. Thus, disrupting a human’s circadian rhythm does have effects not only when a person falls asleep or gets up in the morning, but can also have negative effects on health.
Research done by Keith C. Summa and Fred W. Turek in the article, Circadian Desynchrony and Health, also supports the article by LaMotte, as they examine the negative effects of a disrupted circadian rhythm cycle and how that effects mammal’s health. Summa and Turek (2014) found that a disrupted circadian rhythm in mammals can cause negative effects on metabolism, microbiota, mental health, or even cause cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal disease, or cancer. Additionally, Summa and Turek (2014) claim that disruptions can also cause physiologic diseases, which displays that a disrupted circadian rhythm not only has effects on physical health, but it can have negative effects on mental health as well. Therefore, there are many adverse effects that can occur in human and mammal health due to disruption in circadian rhythms especially due to advancements in technology, screen time on phones or tablets, work, and many other factors that can affect when people go to sleep or wake up.
Overall, the article from LaMotte and the article from Summa and Turek both highlight the importance of practicing good sleep and limiting the disruptions of a person’s sleep and wake cycle is. It is very important to bring the topic of circadian rhythms to light because it can help people attempt to limit the disruptions in their day-to-day sleep cycle. Additionally, it is important to recognize the topic of circadian rhythm disfunction as awareness can help initiate more research of why people get diagnosed with many of the diseases and other negative effects of human health due to this cycle.
References:
Dictionary.com. (n.d.). Dictionary.com. https://www.dictionary.com/
LaMotte, S. (2022, November 8). Sleep deprivation affects nearly half of American adults, study finds. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/08/health/sleep-deprivation-wellness/index.html
Summa, K. C., & Turek, F. W. (2014). Circadian desynchrony and health. Atlas of Clinical Sleep Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-323-65403-6.00029-9
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