Sleep deprivation is a term used for insufficiency of sleep or sleepiness throughout the day, this may affect the daily task of the individual making it difficult to stay awake and cause a ‘Social Jetlag’ it may be caused due to stress, poor sleeping habits, job requirements etc. Symptoms of sleep deprivation are irritability, Fatigue, Tiredness, Mood changes, Difficulty concentrating, Difficulty remembering, Lack of energy etc.
Chronic sleep deprivation has several serious damages such as insomnia, heart disease, increasing blood pressure, Diabetes, Risk of seizures and considering the number of health and psychological issues also increase the risk of mortality.
The Sleep cycle is referred to different stages of sleep wherein the brain and physical activity differs. Experts suggest that a common Adult should sleep for 7-9 hours every night, it is during this period when our body refreshes itself so that we can stay healthy, productive and energetic throughout the day. The sleep cycle is characterized by five different stages. The first and second stages are light and moderate sleep when our body temperature decreases and our heart rate is slow The Third and Fourth stages are Deep sleep stages wherein our Brain waves, Breathing and heart rate is at the lowest stage, this stage is also known as the repairing stage as cellular energy is restored and important hormones are released.
REM stage/ Rapid Eye movement stage is when we are dreaming and our heart rate and breathing restore to near wakeful levels.
