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Sleep Conditions

From bleary-eyed parents of newborns to workaholic executives, quality sleep is often talked about like it’s a luxury. An isolated indulgence. 

But here’s the reality: Sleep is a necessity. Not getting enough of it over a long period of time can have serious and negative impacts on your mood, concentration, appetite, memory, and health. 

There’s even a name for it: sleep deprivation.

Sleep deprivation is what happens when you don’t sleep (or, at the very least, get an adequate amount of sleep). To put it simply, your body and your brain aren’t getting the rest they need to be fully functional. 

How much sleep is too little sleep? Experts generally agree that adults need seven to nine hours of sleep per night. Getting less than that over several days (or longer) can lead to sleep deprivation.

If you just read that and thought, “Whoa, I’m not getting nearly the amount of sleep I should…” you’re not alone. The CDC states that one in three adults don’t get enough sleep. 

Sleep deprivation itself is a symptom, so there might be something else that’s causing you to lose the sleep you need. Potential causes include: 

• Anxiety
• Chronic pain 
• Depression
• Insomnia
• Obesity
• Obstructive sleep apnea
• Substance abuse

However, it’s important to note that sleep deprivation can be environmental, temporary, or even intentional. 

For example, parents with a newborn baby (who won’t start sleeping through the night until at least three months old) are likely to be sleep-deprived. Or, college students who pull several all-nighters ahead of exams will quickly see symptoms of a lack of sleep. Some military branches even make their members go through sleep deprivation training to ensure they’re prepared to operate on significantly reduced sleep.

So, what happens when you don’t sleep? For starters, you’ll feel excessively tired throughout your day. The Sleep Foundation states that other sleep deprivation effects include: 

• Lack of energy
• Mood changes (especially increased stress, anxiety, and irritability)
• Poor or risky decision-making
• Reduced attention span
• Slowed thinking
• Worsened memory 

Beyond those cognitive symptoms, the CDC says that persistently insufficient sleep is linked to the development of several chronic conditions including: 

• Cardiovascular disease
  
• Depression
• Obesity
• Type 2 diabetes

Besides the daily discomfort and lack of energy, sleep deprivation isn’t something you want to be a constant in your life. 

The symptoms spelled out above may help you figure out if you’re actually sleep-deprived. But, this can still feel tricky, especially since the signs of sleep deprivation can be related to other factors, like your diet or your hormones.

To figure out if you’re actually sleep-deprived, Cedars Sinai recommends keeping an eye out for a few other telltale indicators, including: 

• Experiencing “microsleeps,” which are brief periods of sleep during waking time
• Falling asleep within five minutes of lying down

If you’re dealing with either of those, it’s highly likely that you’re sleep-deprived. 

Unfortunately, it’s not a big secret: to treat sleep deprivation, you need more sleep. But we know it’s not always that easy. If you could sleep, you’d already be doing it, right?

Circumstantial sleep deprivation will likely pass with time or a change in your situation. For example, as that newborn baby grows, they’ll (hopefully) start to sleep longer stretches—meaning you’ll get more sleep yourself.

But, if your sleep deprivation isn’t temporary, sleep deprivation treatments will vary depending on what’s causing your loss of sleep in the first place. Somebody who has obstructive sleep apnea will require a different solution than somebody with insomnia.

With all of that in mind, potential treatments for sleep deprivation include: 

• Creating an environment that’s conducive to high-quality sleep, with a cooler temperature and a comfortable mattress and pillow
• Implementing healthy sleep habits, like avoiding alcohol, caffeine, or screen time close to bedtime 
• Instituting a bedtime routine to signal to your body that it’s time for sleep
• Trying cognitive behavioral therapy for managing stress and creating a better relationship with sleep 
• Using medications or devices to address underlying issues such as anxiety, depression, insomnia, or sleep apnea

Keep in mind that the best way to treat your sleep deprivation is to understand what’s causing it in the first place. That way you can actually address the root cause of your sleep loss.

You deserve a good night’s sleep. Actually, you more than deserve it — you need it. It’s fundamental for your own emotional, mental, and physical well-being and even for the safety of people around you. 

Not sure how to navigate your own sleep deprivation and get the rest that your brain and body depend on? Our treatment options are a great place to start to help you get not only better sleep—but more of it. 

Article Reviewed By

Joshua Roland, MD, FAASM - River's Medical Director

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