by Bridget Webber

Created on: July 24, 2007   Last Updated: April 30, 2009

While there are many different reasons for sleep deprivation, it's effects are not always taken seriously or understood. To the casual observer who sleeps well and awakens refreshed, ready to begin a new day, protests from a sleep deprived friend or spouse about their own lack of sleep can seem trivial.

Sleep deprivation is far from nonsense for the sleep deprived. Depending on how much sleep is missed the affects can be variable in seriousness. A little missed sleep can make an individual feel a lack of get up and go, as they haven't been able to fully rest their mind and body.

Even more lack of sleep can result in impaired brain functioning. Reactions become slower as the brain isn't able to process and respond to incoming data so quickly. This is often where sleep deprived drivers cause accidents. They know that they are tired, but can't wait to get home to bed, and so force themselves to carry on driving instead of pulling over to the side of the road for forty winks.

If sleep deprived, operating any form of machinery can become dangerous due to this lack of response when needed. Fork lift drivers, mechanics and builders who use heavy equipment are particularly at risk.

Sleep deprivation can have an accumulative effect, building in severity as long as the problem continues. This can result, not only in the problems described above, but also in making the individual deficient in memory. They may forget dates, names and even certain parts of their vocabulary as the sleep deprivation builds. This can look, to others, as though the person has been drinking or is not very bright, and indeed they won't be feeling very bright either.

In the first world war sleep deprivation was used as a form of torture. This is because the enemy knew that lack of sleep, when built upon, can feel almost painful. The mental and physical stress caused is enormous and highly dangerous.

After way too much lack of sleep can affect a person can be that they begin to hallucinate, at first thinking that they see something move out of the corner of their eye, and then as it becomes worse, full blown hallucinations may occur.

The body becomes weakened and is physically stressed. The muscles tire and in some cases a person may experience a surge of brain chemicals which furthers the 'stay awake' syndrome.

It is not uncommon for a sleep deprived person to become highly emotional and tearful, unable to cope with life's little ups and downs which everyone else takes for granted. You only have to remember how an over tired baby balls their eyes out if prevented from sleeping to begin to imagine how it may feel.

If you are suffering from severe sleep deprivation then I am mentally with you, having suffered from much of the above, and urge you to have a medical check up. If you are seen to be medically sound then it could be that you have a psychological disturbance that is bothering you that needs to be addressed. If not then it could be that there is yet another cause that we have not progressed enough yet to fully understand.

Whatever the reason may be for your lack of sleep be sure to take time out for yourself to relax. Hypnotherapy, even if it doesn't make you fully drift off, can deeply relax your mind and body and give you much needed refreshment. Meditation is another way to gain the relaxation that you need. Don't be afraid to experiment to find a way that works for you.

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