Sleep deprivation is a condition where a person fails to get an adequate amount of sleep to function normally. An estimated 50 to 70 million people report suffering from sleep deprivation, and this affects people of all ages. In a talk that I attended, I had the opportunity to listen to researcher Stephanie J. Crowley’s research on “An Update on Adolescent Sleep: New Evidence Informing the Perfect Storm Model.” Crowley’s research dwelt on the changes in circadian rhythms in adolescents' sleep patterns and sleep cycle patterns. An argument that was mentioned by Crowley was that early start times in school affect adolescents' sleep patterns with lack of sleep. Since adolescents’ bodies are changing, their sleep patterns and circadian sleep rhythms change too. The body adjusts to later bedtimes and the early start for school contributes to lack of sleep, decreased alertness and overall performance. To explore the factors that lead to sleep deprivation, a “perfect storm model” was used, consisting of biological, psychosocial and societal factors that evidently impact the loss of sleep in adolescents. Some examples mentioned were of the changes in sleep patterns and circadian rhythm in adolescents during puberty, early start times for school, and social media. Through this model, solutions for counteracting factors like these can provide solutions to improve the loss of sleep-in adolescents.
A research paper that I came across that goes more in-depth into the effects of sleep deprivation was “Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Physical and Mental Health Outcomes: An Umbrella Review.” Researchers Sanjay Shah et al. explored various studies of sleep deprivation’s effects on one’s health via an umbrella review with the focus of possible health interventions in the future. The Umbrella Review entailed steps to find credible and eligible sources involving screening and review of data on health. The negative effects of sleep deprivation were broken down into 4 categories: all-cause mortality, metabolic syndrome, mental health disorders, and cardiovascular diseases. There were various factors that were detrimental to human health like the risk of diabetes, stroke, cancer and anxiety. These are all risks that can be present in a person who is not getting an adequate amount of sleep. Through these findings, there can be more awareness of the importance of getting an adequate amount of sleep daily and preventing the detrimental effects that the studies showed under the umbrella review of sleep deprivation.
Overall, these studies reveal that sleep deprivation is detrimental to adolescents and adults as it can lead to diseases, mental health, and loss of daily function. This is something that many people struggle with daily and aren’t aware of until the effects become prominent. Awareness of the studies and factors of sleep deprivation can help with health interventions that can help counteract this problem. I found the topic of sleep deprivation interesting because as a college student, you feel the full blunt force of sleep deprivation with the late cramming and busy schedules. The effects really do take their toll on a person and being knowledgeable about sleep deprivation's effects can help with future interventions.
References
Crowley, Stephanie J., et al. “An Update on Adolescent Sleep: New Evidence Informing the Perfect Storm Model.” Journal of Adolescence, vol. 67, no. 67, Aug. 2018, pp. 55–65, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2018.06.001.
Shah, Arambh Sanjay, et al. “Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Physical and Mental Health Outcomes: An Umbrella Review.” American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 27 May 2025, https://doi.org/10.1177/15598276251346752.
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