ANCSLEEP BLOG

Living with chronic sleep deprivation will make it harder to live a quality life. When someone is exhausted, it is very difficult to function well. Many conditions cause chronic sleep deprivation, such as:

• Sleep apnea
• Insomnia
• Parasomnias
• Restless leg syndrome
• Circadian rhythm disorders

Chronic sleep deprivation is defined by most studies as getting six or less hours of sleep on a regular basis. Let’s look at the critical ways chronic sleep deprivation impacts the quality of your life and, in turn, how getting good sleep can positively impact your life.

Insomnia is a frustrating sleeping disorder that can affect mental, physical, social, and spiritual health. Insomnia can be temporary or chronic, and caused by something or seem to appear without cause. Those with insomnia have, likely, tried many things to fall and stay asleep. Here are some rather creative and additional tips for overcoming insomnia and improving sleep.

Relationship Between and Age

Age is likely the most important factor in how much sleep one needs. Additionally, sleep patterns and circadian rhythms change with age. Most individuals will not have similar sleep patterns at 10, 20 and 50 years of age. 

Why does this matter? Sleep deprivation is not always caused by lack of sleep at night. Even if someone cannot sleep enough at night, they can certainly nap during the day to get the recommended 7-9 total hours of sleep. Changes in sleep pattern may affect both the ability to sleep at night and during the day. 

Additional influences of sleep are personal factors. Each individual has unique work and life circumstances that dramatically affect when, where, and how one sleeps. Such life factors also need to be taken into account when evaluating whether or not one sleeps enough.

Let’s look at how much sleep you need based on age.

The Relationship Between Your Immune System and Sleep

The immune system and sleep are intimately connected. Sleep loss impacts immune response and, in turn, immune system failures impact sleep. If one is trying to avoid getting sick, consistent quantiful and quality sleep is one of the best ways to prevent illness and ensure optimal recovery.

Molecules called cytokines are signaling molecules in the immune system and the brain. Sleep deprivation decreases the body’s production of cytokines and inhibits immune response to illnesses, such as:

• Flu
• Colds
• Chronic illness

Specifically, a lack of sleep prevents the immune system from building up its forces, meaning that it will be overloaded by illness and likely take longer to recover.

During illness, increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines correspond with increased fatigue, which is why fatigue is a symptom of illness – it’s the body’s way shutting down to sleep for a quicker recovery.

What is Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)

Obstructive sleep apnea is a potentially serious medical condition and sleeping disorder that can lead to severe sleep deprivation. OSA causes repeated cessations in breathing throughout the night, anywhere from 5-30 times per hour. This happens because the muscles in the back of the throat relax at night, blocking the airway. With each pause, the body must wake up to begin breathing again, however, the sleeper normally does not remember these events. Each blockage/arousal cycle is called an apnea or apnea event. Therefore, they awake each morning very tired but are unsure why.

How Sleep Deprivation Affects Sex

Sleep deprivation can greatly affect a male’s sexual drive. Specifically, it can quickly result in Erectile Dysfunction (ED). The relationship between ED and sleep is often unknown and can be a source of hope for those who struggled to find a solution. 

Sleep deprivation is caused by a deficiency in the number of hours of sleep, which for adults is anything less than 7-9 hours per day. A few nights of sleep deprivation is not likely to cause ED, only decreased libido. However, chronic sleep deprivation, such as sleep deprivation caused by sleep disorders, can cause ED in men.

Sleep and Age

Your sleep needs are largely moderated by a single factor; age. Age dictates the amount of sleep that one needs, and will also dictate sleep cycles, or circadian rhythm. This is an important consideration when trying to determine the appropriate amount of sleep because sleep loss can occur through:  

• You are not sleeping long enough during the night
• You are not sleeping in sync with your circadian rhythm

Outside of age, there are other personal factors that can impact the amount of sleep that one needs. Lifestyle, number of kids, work schedule, etc. can all impact the amount of sleep necessary. In this blog post, we are going to discuss sleep requirements for children and adults, and how sleep changes over time.

Chronic Fatigue Troubles

Chronic fatigue can have a profound effect on life quality. For those who suffer from chronic fatigue, they are very aware of how problematic chronic fatigue is. For those struggling with chronic fatigue, they often wonder why? 

There are many causes for chronic fatigue: life factors, stress, disease, and sleep disorders are the most common. Some causes may be short-term, such as an overwhelming project or busy schedule. It's often easier to identify these situations as reasons for fatigue. However, underlying sleep disorders, which are also a common cause, may be harder to detect. 

Sleep deprivation can have the following negative effects: 

• Lowers life expectancy
• Lowers quality of life
• Lowers performance in all areas of life (mental, emotional, physical)

Let’s look at common sleep disorders that cause chronic fatigue and lead to sleep deprivation.

The Pain Epidemic

In the United States, there is an epidemic of chronic pain. The 2015 Sleep in AmericaTM Poll found that 21% of Americans experience chronic pain. It also found that 36 percent of people have experienced acute pain in the last week. Some contributing to this pain epidemic are:

• Sitting all day at desk jobs is not good for our health
• Increased inactivity due to increased screen time
• Obesity
• Stress
• Injuries from sports and high activity
• Genetics and inherit weak backs, necks, knees, etc.

Obviously, pain is an issue because it makes life miserable.

Why Sleep Prevents Sickness

Sleep loss impacts your immune response and, in turn, your immune system alters your sleep. Sleep is one of your primary defenses against getting sick, as it helps ensure that your immune response is optimal and effective.

 The relationship between sleep and the immune system are molecules called cytokines. Cytokines act as signaling molecules in the immune system and the brain. Sleep loss decreases your body’s production of protective cytokines.

During illness, increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines correspond with increased fatigue, which is why you feel tired when you are sick – it’s your body’s way of telling you to sleep more and recover quicker from your illness.