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Julia Cavey

ENG 1201

Professor Leonard

November 14, 2021

The Effects of Sleep on Our Mental and Physical States

Sleep is a very important component to our everyday lives and our bodies so that

we can function and be productive in society. Getting enough sleep at night is key and an

essential part of our routine for us to be healthy and live well. However, a lack of sleep

can cause many health problems and threats as sleep has tremendous effects on the body

and mind. Most know that sleep affects physical abilities and your mood but what exactly

are the health risks that are brought on by a lack of sleep? How does it affect our mental

and physical states? What could be done to prevent these health problems?

Sleep has been a topic of interest for many scientists and researchers for many

years. It has become very common among researchers and others throughout the years as

they try to find out more about the effects of sleep as well as different sleep patterns and
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answers to the many questions being raised about the importance of it all. Since this

research has begun there have been many different sleep studies created and tested and

the discovery of sleep disorders and information about those has been found as well. The

experiments, tests, and studies have given us most of the information we have today and

continue to use to find out more and more. Sleep affects people's mental and physical

health by allowing the body and mind to recover through neural patterns and rhythms. If

not acquired, lack of sleep can cause serious health risks and futuristic problems.

Studies have shown that while there are many factors that play a role in falling

asleep, the main one is your circadian rhythm. This rhythm itself is affected by two

things, such as adenosine and your internal body clock. Adenosine is a chemical

compound that builds up while you are awake and signals the need to sleep, then breaks

down while you are asleep and then the process starts over. Your internal body clock is

what signals to your brain that it is time to go to sleep based off of your environment and

the conditions around you. Light signals that are received through your brain tell you if it

is day or night. When it is dark or nighttime, “your body releases a hormone called

melatonin” which signals to your body it is time to sleep and “helps you feel drowsy”

(NIH).

It is important to get enough good sleep as it prepares your brain and body for the

day ahead so you can perform all your tasks to the best of your ability. Studies have
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shown that sleep can affect your ability to learn, make decisions, the ability to focus, and

even your cardiovascular system. This is the basis of neural patterns and rhythms that

allow you to fall asleep and get the rest you need.

There are many symptoms and telling signs that show whether or not an individual

is getting enough sleep. To start with the obvious, being tired is just one sign and

symptom that comes with not getting enough sleep. If someone feels like they are tired all

the time or are unable to stay focused while doing everyday tasks or activities, it can be

diagnosed that that person is not getting enough sleep. NIH says that if a person feels

drowsy while reading, watching television, sitting still, riding in a car, or even talking to

a person, it is very likely that person is not letting their body recover and rejuvenate at

night with sleep.

Getting just the right amount of sleep is crucial to your health and happiness.

According to NIH, “The way you feel while you're awake depends in part on what

happens while you're sleeping”. While you sleep, your body works to improve brain

health and function as well as maintain your physical state of health. In adolescents, sleep

very much contributes to growth and development. Sleep affects your physical abilities

just as much as it affects your mood and emotional state. Sleep has been found to
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improve learning, growth and development, fertility, the immune system, and also keeps

hormones balanced so we can regulate our bodies. These are all things that are super

important and that we prioritize.

Sleep deficiency is a very concerning problem for many individuals. All people

from all walks of life are at risk of being affected by sleep deprivation. However, some

groups more than others are affected more drastically. These groups include but are not

limited to caregivers, shift workers, teens, and people who suffer from medical

conditions. The mental health risks are a variety of things such as anxiety, depression,

and memory loss. The physical health effects are a number of frightening diseases such

as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension, immune function, and can

even increase the risk of you getting the common cold (Harvard Medical School).

The physical threats and diseases caused by a lack of sleep is not a subject to take

lightly. These are very serious conditions and can greatly affect not only the quality of

life but the length of life as well. According to Harvard Medical School, there has been a

countless number of studies done relating sleep deficiency back to the most serious health

risks of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular problems, and as well as hypertension. It has

been found that sleeping just less than six hours each night can, over a period of time,

cause a certain amount of excess body weight for most individuals. This has also been
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linked to diabetes. Sleep deficiency has been found to cause and heavily increase the risk

of the development of Type 2 diabetes. Diabetes is a disease related to your blood sugar

and if gone untreated or not taken care of can lead to loss of limbs and even death. The

cardiovascular diseases that are caused are mainly associated with and most closely

related to the coronary artery. This is one of the main arteries in the heart and controls

some of the blood flow throughout the heart. Problems associated with this artery have

been known to lead to myocardial infarction, or better known as a heart attack. Heart

attacks are very, very serious and are one of the leading causes of death in the United

States. Studies have shown that sleep apnea, a sleep disorder, is related to causing

“hypertension, stroke, coronary heart disease, and irregular heartbeat” (Harvard Medical

School).

A popular topic of the effects of sleep has been in connection with immune

function and the immune system. When someone does not get enough sleep,

inflammatory mediator levels increase, and infections and viruses have an immense

impact on amounts of sleep and patterns of sleep. This has been known to cause people

more trouble in resisting and fighting infections as well as resisting and fighting viruses.

This is mainly due to the fact that the body is unable to recover and so therefore it keeps

getting weaker and weaker as time goes on. An example would be the common cold. A

study completed recently showed that subjects who received less than seven hours of

sleep each night were more likely to develop symptoms of the common cold than the
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subjects who got eight or more hours of sleep each night (Harvard Medical School). Also,

the subjects who were not sleep deprived were found to be more likely to not end up with

the common cold or even get any symptoms whatsoever. That connects back to the

immune system and how important it is and how much of an effect is has on our bodies

and our health. During the common illness seasons and for people who are around so

many different germs on and everyday basis, getting proper amounts of sleep is so very

important. It cannot be stressed enough.

The unfortunate effects of sleep deficiency can be instant or can hurt you over the

course of an extended amount of time. A study done on a group of tennis players yielded

an interesting result and findings about acute sleep restriction and its effects. The study

restricted sleep from tennis players and later tested their ability to see how the lack of

sleep had affected them. When compared, it was found that “acute SR affects the

technical component of tennis players rather than their ability to perform high-intensity

repeated sprints.” (International Journal of Sports Physiology & Performance).

Some common misconceptions about sleep are that “you can catch up on sleep”

and that “the older you get, the fewer hours of sleep you need” (NICHD). For example,
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according to this source, you cannot “catch up” on sleep as sleep deprivation simply

accumulates and causes risks of health problems. Some people assume they can just sleep

more on their days off than they would on a work day or a busy day. Or, they think they

can go to bed at a later time and then get up later on a day off. It is true that these naps

and extra hours of sleep here, there, and everywhere makes you feel better. It might even

give you some boosts of energy right after and maybe even throughout the day. However,

this can greatly “upset your body’s sleep-wake rhythm.” (NIH). Because of this, the

action of taking a nap during the day could really affect your health over a period of time.

Who knew naps could be so serious, right? The idea that you can almost just “sleep later”

instead of at night when the body needs, wants, and is prepared for that sleep is a

complete myth.

The body has its own clock, essentially. It knows when it is hungry. It knows

when it is dehydrated. It knows when it needs sleep. Some may think that in order to be

able to get enough sleep they have to force themselves to go to bed at a ridiculously early

hour or force themselves to go to sleep eve when they are not even slightly tired. One of

the most crucial parts of a sleep schedule is “sleeping when your body is ready to sleep”

(NIH). Also, a recommended amount of sleep is 7-9 hours as we still need that same

amount of sleep throughout our lives even though our sleep patterns may change. The
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idea of “catching up” on sleep may in fact solve the problem of drowsiness throughout

the day but it does not void the effects of sleep deprivation and deficiency.

Everyone has taken a nap or two in their day. Whether it be because they fell

asleep watching the television or because of a long road trip car ride, everyone has taken

a nap at some point in their life. Some tend to assume that since they took a nap that day

or got a few extra minutes of shut-eye, they will not need as much sleep that night or they

have already caught up on the sleep they lost the night before or even throughout the

week. This idea that naps make up for lost sleep has actually been proven to be untrue

despite popular beliefs. According to NIH, napping just so happens to “not provide all of

the other benefits of night-time sleep”. (NIH).

Sleep is crucial to living a healthy life. While there are many health risks

associated with a lack of sleep, there are some things you can do and tactics you can try

to help benefit and improve your sleep and sleep patterns. For example, some solutions

include but are not limited to creating good sleep habits, making changes in your daily

life, and assessing your sleep needs and what keeps you awake (Harvard Medical

School). Experts suggest adults should get seven and a half to eight and a half hours of
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sleep each night to ensure maximum benefits of sleep. Maintaining a regular sleep

schedule, avoiding caffeine, and exercising regularly are just a few things one can try to

see if they can improve the sleep they are getting.

Addressing the problem is crucial. Addressing what one’s sleep needs is the first

step. This is where we start to realize that there is a problem. This is where we think

about what the causes are and how we can fix them. Paying attention to sleepiness is

helpful because it lets one know if they are getting enough sleep or not. This can be

accomplished by evaluating your daily routines and asking yourself questions such as

“How tired do I feel during the daytime? When do I feel most alert?” (Harvard Medical

School). The body gives us cues to tell us whether or not we are getting enough sleep. It

is so important to listen to them so that we can properly assess and figure out what

changes should be made.

A helpful method that would be worth trying would be keeping a sleep journal.

This tool helps to track sleep patterns and the time spent sleeping. It simply consists of

the times you go to bed, wake up, how many times you wake up throughout the night,

etc. Another helpful tool is to take a sleep vacation. This is where you take a certain
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period of time and stick to a strict sleep schedule. The point of this activity is to

essentially develop a good sleep schedule and sleeping habits. This period of time will

get your body used to going to bed at a specific time and getting up at a specific time. It

will help your body to forget the sleep pattern it is used to, the one that is leaving you

tired and sleepy during the day and make help you to develop a new one that your body

can stick to and help you to begin sleeping better and not be tired all the time. Lastly, and

certainly most importantly, one must make sleep a priority. This is where you must hold

yourself accountable and be disciplined. Your sleep schedule must be protected and that

you continue to keep good sleep habits so that you can continue living a healthy lifestyle.

In conclusion, by allowing the body and mind to recover using complex neural

patterns and rhythms, sleep greatly affects a person’s mental and physical states. Without

it, the risk of intense and worrisome health problems increases exponentially and can

harm people just because they did not get the amount of sleep their mind and body

needed. These diseases are very scary and can cause people to be very sick and can even

lead to death. Being sleep deprived not only affects the quality of life of every person but

it also affects the span of life of every single person. People need their sleep. Not just

random naps here and there or getting good sleep two nights a week on average, people
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need deep, long sleep every single night to ensure they can properly function and be

productive in our society.

Works Cited

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. “Sleep Deprivation and Deficiency”. Nov

2011. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/sleep-deprivation-and-deficiency.

Accessed Oct 2021.

Pacheco, Danielle. “Physical Health and Sleep”. Sleep Foundation. Jun 24, 2021.

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/physical-health. Accessed Oct 2021.

Rodgers, Ann E. “Sleep and Health”. GetSleep. Jan 16, 2008.

https://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/need-sleep/whats-in-it-for-you/health.

Accessed Oct 2021.

US Department of Health and Human Services. “What Are Some Myths about Sleep?”.

National Institutes of Health. Apr 24, 2019.

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https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/sleep/conditioninfo/sleep-myths.

Accessed Oct 2021.

Vitale, Jacopo A., Bonato, Matteo, Petrucci, Lorenzo, Zucca, Giorgio, La Torre, Antonio,

Banfi, Giuseppe. “Acute Sleep Restriction Affects Sport-Specific But Not Athletic

Performance in Junior Tennis Players.” International Journal of Sports Physiology and

Performance. Vol. 16 Issue 8, p1154 6p. Aug 2021.