Chronically Sleep-Deprived? Common Causes & Consequences

One in five adults in America report being frequently fatigued. It’s such a common feeling that people often associate it with “being an adult.” It’s normal, just a part of life we all struggle with.

The truth is, however, lack of sleep, or sleep deprivation, isn’t normal. Yes, many people struggle with extreme tiredness, but it doesn’t mean we should accept it. If you often feel tired or exhausted, you shouldn’t continue to suffer.

Half of the battle with sleep deprivation is to identify what’s causing it. The only problem is there are quite a few possible causes, and some of them can be difficult to avoid. But it’s not enough just to know what causes sleep issues.

It’s important to know what kind of consequences come with a lack of sleep. While some of these consequences may seem obvious there are a few that could be surprising, including driving and insurance issues. Some of these consequences could affect some states more than others as there are states with the most reckless drivers.

What is sleep deprivation?

So, what is sleep deprivation? Is it something more than “overly tired”? After all, there are thousands of people every day who talk about how tired they are. Is that sleep deprivation – a sense of over-tiredness?

By definition, sleep deprivation is when you do not get enough sleep. It’s different from other common sleep disorders, like insomnia. Insomnia is a disorder that makes it difficult to sleep. A person with insomnia what’s to sleep and is tired enough to sleep, but their body doesn’t allow them to sleep.

Sleep deprivation, on the other hand, is all about the amount of sleep. Sleep deprivation is when you, for whatever reason, do not give your body enough time to sleep. It’s a lack of amount of sleep.

Sleep deprivation can come in a couple of different forms. In some cases, people who suffer from sleep deprivation stay up when they should be sleeping, resulting in a lack of sleep. In other cases, people with sleep deprivation are able to sleep in the recommended amounts but it’s low-quality sleep, so they wake up tired.

How long a person suffers from sleep deprivation can vary. Some people deal with it for just a few nights and infrequently. While other people have more chronic sleep deprivation and can deal with symptoms for weeks.

Symptoms of Sleep Deprivation

Symptoms of sleep deprivation range from common or mild symptoms to severe. Common symptoms include fatigue and sleepiness during the day, irritability, headaches, mental trouble, and slowed reaction time.

Severe symptoms are more severe and can be potentially dangerous. These symptoms include drooping eyelids or uncontrollable eye movements, trouble speaking, hand tremors, impaired judgment, impulsive behavior, or even hallucinations.

Stages of Sleep Deprivation

Sleep deprivation is also a process, it happens in stages. A person moves through stages of sleep deprivation as they get progressively less sleep, or stay awake longer.

Stage 1 of sleep deprivation happens after a person stays awake for 24 hours. In this first stage, people often feel and act similarly to a person who is drunk.

Stage 2 happens after 36 hours without sleep. At this point symptoms begin to intensify. The most common symptoms at this stage are those that affect a person mentally.

Stage 3 is after 48 hours without sleeping. People in this stage may find it difficult to stay awake at all and can fall into microsleeps. Microsleeps are short bursts of sleep, usually 30 seconds.

Stage 4 is after a person has been awake for 72 hours. It’s at this stage that many people suffer from hallucinations.

The final stage, stage 5, is after 96 hours without sleep. People who reach this stage can suffer from sleep deprivation psychosis. This will only go away once a person gets adequate sleep.

Common Causes of Sleep Deprivation

So what causes sleep deprivation? It’s not just one or two things that can cause a person to lose sleep. In fact, there are dozens of possible causes. Some are circumstantial or environmental and others are signs or consequences of medical conditions.

First are those circumstantial or environmental causes. People can find it difficult to sleep if they haven’t had enough physical activity or exercise. Other common causes include too much caffeine late in the day or poor sleep habits – like too much screen time before bed.

Sleep deprivation can also be a result of high-stress levels. If work, family, or life stressors build up, then people can find it hard to sleep enough or get good quality sleep.

Other times sleep deprivation is caused by medical issues. People with chronic issues – like insomnia, sleep apnea, mental health conditions, or Alzheimer’s can find it hard to sleep. Some prescription medications can affect sleep habits resulting in sleep deprivation.

Even common illnesses like the flu or the common cold can disrupt sleep patterns. These are usually short-term causes though.

Common Consequences of Sleep Deprivation

Sleep deprivation is a big concern because of the consequences. It may be surprising to hear, but low-quality or inadequate sleep is bad for your heart and overall nutrition. It’s true, not getting enough sleep can wreak havoc on a number of different body systems and functions.

Not only can your heart be affected, but so can the metabolic system, immune system, nervous system, and the brain. The exact effects and how severe these effects are depends entirely on the length of time a person has been without sleep.

Sleep deprivation can also worsen known medical conditions. People who suffer from anxiety and depression can see an increase in these conditions after a lack of sleep. The same is true for people diagnosed with conditions like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity.

Other consequences of sleep deprivation are not as well known. Because sleep deprivation affects a person’s reaction time, mental processes, and judgment, it can have big impacts on driving ability and car insurance rates.

Driving while impaired, even impaired by lack of sleep, significantly increases the risk of accidents or driving violations. Not only does this mean a greater risk of injury, but it also means a risk of increasing insurance rates.

Any driving violation, including car accidents, is factored into insurance rates. The more often a person suffers from sleep deprivation, the more likely they are to get into an accident and increase their rates.

That means sleep deprivation can be a costly issue physically but also financially.

Treatment of Sleep Deprivation

The good news is sleep deprivation can be treated. It cannot be cured completely, as sleep issues ebb and flow, but it can be treated and managed to limit the consequences.

Most treatment processes include things like behavior changes, medications, or sleep support measures. The most common behavior changes are related to a person’s sleep routine and how they prepare for bed. It can be as simple as turning off all screens an hour before bed.

Other treatment options like medications and sleep support measures are only necessary when sleep deprivation can be associated with an illness or condition. These kinds of treatments will need to be discussed and prescribed by a doctor.

A lack of sleep is part of life, but it doesn’t have to be one that we take lying down. Sleep deprivation can come and go, it can be a short-term issue or a long-term issue. But, in most cases, with just a few lifestyle changes, sleep deprivation can be managed. It can even become a thing of the past.