IMPACT OF SLEEP DISORDER ON OVERALL HEALTH 1 IMPACT OF SLEEP DISORDER ON OVERALL HEALTH 5 Formatting style: Vancouver (Alhola & Polo-Kantola, 2007) Impact of sleep disorder on overall health Instructor: BIO-317V 11/29/19 Abstract Sleep disorders have several impacts on overall health. With the increase in sleep disorders over the last few years, there is a need to identify some of the most common causes of sleep disorders and if factors such as age, gender, ethnicity and social status may be considered as risk factors. Different studies have been done to determine the impacts of sleep disorders on an individual’s overall health. The central focus of this research is to review some of these studies, and come up with a conclusion that tends to bring out these health impacts that are associated with sleep disorders, particularly, sleep deprivation. Introduction Sleep is considered as a biological process and it has regularly been essential for good life and optimal health (Wells & Vaughn, 2012). Sleep has been essential in controlling brain functioning, and even in other biological and systematic processes such as metabolism, regulation of appetite, and improving one’s immunity against a number of diseases, especially in children. Normally, a good sleep is associated by the duration of the sleep, the quality, and regularity among other factors. Although a number of studies, and even media, have covered the health benefits of sleep, more than 70 million individuals in the US are still suffering from sleep-related disorders, and moreover, in Europe, approximately 45 million people are also victims of these disorders. For instance, a study conferred that of all the car accidents that occur in the US, 20% are as a result of lack of enough sleep, or other disorders associated wit either too much sleep or lack of enough sleep (Palma et al., 2013). There are a number of consequences that may arise as a result of sleep loss and other sleep-related disorders. As conveyed by Ming et al. (2011), the most common consequences that may be related to sleep include judgment errors, which may lead to disastrous events. On the other pedestal, some of the less visible consequences of sleep disorder include increased mortality and morbidity rate, car accidents and injuries, QoL, the well-being of the family, and utilization of healthcare services among the affected persons. Some of these consequences may arise a few minutes after having less hours of sleep, or too much sleep. However, there are some long-term impacts of sleep, for instance, obesity and hypertension. Sleeping for a longer duration enhances the body’s inactivity and this is greatly associated with obesity, which may also give chance to the development of hypertension and other cardiovascular complications. According to Ming et al. (2011), there are approximately 90-100 sleep disorders which may result from factors such as environmental factors, psychosocial issues, and ot ...

1. IMPACT OF SLEEP DISORDER ON OVERALL HEALTH 1
IMPACT OF SLEEP DISORDER ON OVERALL HEALTH 5
Formatting style: Vancouver (Alhola & Polo-Kantola, 2007)
Impact of sleep disorder on overall health
Instructor:
BIO-317V
11/29/19
Abstract
Sleep disorders have several impacts on overall health.
With the increase in sleep disorders over the last few years,
there is a need to identify some of the most common causes of
sleep disorders and if factors such as age, gender, ethnicity and
social status may be considered as risk factors. Different studies
have been done to determine the impacts of sleep disorders on
an individual’s overall health. The central focus of this research
is to review some of these studies, and come up with a
conclusion that tends to bring out these health impacts that are
associated with sleep disorders, particularly, sleep deprivation.

2. Introduction
Sleep is considered as a biological process and it has
regularly been essential for good life and optimal health (Wells
& Vaughn, 2012). Sleep has been essential in controlling brain
functioning, and even in other biological and systematic
processes such as metabolism, regulation of appetite, and
improving one’s immunity against a number of diseases,
especially in children. Normally, a good sleep is associated by
the duration of the sleep, the quality, and regularity among
other factors. Although a number of studies, and even media,
have covered the health benefits of sleep, more than 70 million
individuals in the US are still suffering from sleep-related
disorders, and moreover, in Europe, approximately 45 million
people are also victims of these disorders. For instance, a study
conferred that of all the car accidents that occur in the US, 20%
are as a result of lack of enough sleep, or other disorders
associated wit either too much sleep or lack of enough sleep
(Palma et al., 2013).
There are a number of consequences that may arise as a
result of sleep loss and other sleep-related disorders. As
conveyed by Ming et al. (2011), the most common consequences
that may be related to sleep include judgment errors, which may
lead to disastrous events. On the other pedestal, some of the
less visible consequences of sleep disorder include increased
mortality and morbidity rate, car accidents and injuries, QoL,
the well-being of the family, and utilization of healthcare
services among the affected persons. Some of these
consequences may arise a few minutes after having less hours of
sleep, or too much sleep. However, there are some long-term
impacts of sleep, for instance, obesity and hypertension.

3. Sleeping for a longer duration enhances the body’s inactivity
and this is greatly associated with obesity, which may also give
chance to the development of hypertension and other
cardiovascular complications. According to Ming et al. (2011),
there are approximately 90-100 sleep disorders which may
result from factors such as environmental factors, psychosocial
issues, and other medical conditions. Although the number of
sleep disorders is on an increasing trend, these disorders may be
classified into not obtaining the recommended amount of sleep,
or having low quality of sleep, which is referred to as sleep
deprivation, having disrupted sleep, also known as sleep
fragmentation and having difficulties maintaining sleep, middle
insomnia and other cases that may arise during sleep including
sleep apnea, as well as restless legs syndrome among others
(Ming et al., 2011).
Sleep has been considered to be one of the greatest
components of a good health. Studies have focused on
determining some of the most common disorders that may arise
due to either lack of enough sleep, or too much sleep. The
average number of hours of sleep that a person should have on a
day is 8 hours. However, the increase in the number of
individuals, especially in the US, has led to an increase in the
rates of unemployment. This has adverse effects on one’s
sleeping hours since people have to work for longer hours to
make a living, a case that has led to high rates of occurrence of
sleep disorders. These sleep disorders cause a number of health
problems to the human body, and as a result, there is a need to
design strategies that can be implemented to ensure that the
rates of sleep disorders is reduced, especially in the US. This
study will review some of the impacts of sleep disorders on
overall health, as well as the most effective preventive
strategies that can be used to ensure that individuals do not
have disrupted sleep.
Methodology
This study reviews previous studies that are based on sleep
deprivation and its impacts on an individual’s overall health.

4. The researcher sampled past papers using convenience sampling
followed by simple random sample in each of the obtained
convenience samples. The researcher also used some keywords
to search for studies in this specific field. These keywords
supported the fact that convenience sampling was used to
collect the required information. These studies formed the
sample, and the sample consisted of 100 studies. Of these 100
literature reviews, only 65 aligned with this study’s objectives
and as a result, n=65. This sample size is large enough, as per
the central limit theorem, and as a result, the findings obtained
may be used to generalize on the entire population of
individuals who may be affected by sleep disorders. Although a
larger sample size usually leads to more reliable and valid
results, after selecting the 65 research articles, there was a need
to specifically look for studies that were based on sleep
deprivation and as a result, simple random sampling was used at
this stage to select only 10 of these articles. This study is
therefore, considered as a review of these 10 sampled articles,
although a comparison and findings, also relate with results
obtained from other previous studies, in the same field.
Results
According to Shapiro & Dement (1993), there has been an
increase in the rates at which sleep disorders affect the health
and well-being of the victims. This study found out that one in
every seven persons in the US is affected by sleep disorders.
The findings from this article portray the fact that some of the
sleep disorders that greatly impact human beings’ health and
overall well-being include sleep walking, RLS, narcolepsy,
sleep terrors and insomnia among others. Another study by Ram
et al. (2010) found out that there is a rapid increase in the
prevalence and incidence of sleep disorders in the US. As a
result, some of the most prevalent sleep disorders include
apnea, RLS, and insomnia. According to this study, there are a
number of factors that relate to this prevalence of these sleep
disorders and some of these include age, gender, and race, and
this implies that the susceptibility of sleep disorders differs

5. from one person to the other.
Another significant result that was obtained from this
review is that most studies are now focusing on sleep
deprivation which is considered as a risk factor for a number of
neurological diseases including stroke, multiple sclerosis, AD,
and epilepsy among others. However, the study also found out
that a number of findings have established that sleep disorder is
regarded as a protective measure against the development and
progression of Parkinson’s disease. A random survey of around
9003 British adults, children and youths found out that sleep
disorder is mainly common among the young, aged 8-34 years,
and among the adults who are aged over 65 years. In a similar
study, those who had the recommended duration of sleep, 7-9
hours, had lower rates of illnesses, and this may be attributed to
the fact that sleep also boosts one’s immune system. Another
study by Ram et al. (2010) also found out that sleep disorders
was one of the leading causes of road accidents in the US. The
results obtained from this study is represented by the graph
below.
Figure 1: Rate of traffic accidents that result from
sleep disorders
A study done by Alhola & Polo-Kantola (2007) found out
that wakefulness is a widespread phenomenon that has been
linked with a number of disorders. For instance, wakefulness is
considered to be a result of sleep restriction or deprivation. The
study found out that there was a significant relationship
between partial and total SD on an individual’s cognitive
performance. For instance, SD is able to interfere with a

6. person’s working memory, and even decision making
capabilities. Similarly, other studies also found a strong
positive correlation between sleep disorders and lack of enough
sleep. For instance, this study found out a p-value of 0.0003,
while trying to depict whether sleeping for less hours is
associated with care accidents. It was found out that of all the
participants, those who slept for short duration of time were
likely to get involved in car accidents. On the other hand, those
who slept for more than 6.5-8 hours per day, were less likely to
be involved in car accidents, unless if the accident occurs as a
result of other causes.
Discussion: Sleep disorders and car accidents
A study done by Cochen et al. (2009) asserted that there
exists a strong positive correlation between sleep disorders and
an increase in the occurrence of car accidents specifically in the
US. Furthermore, in the US alone, National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration estimates that sleep disorders result into
drowsy driving and this is responsible for over 72,000 car
crashes, more than 40,000 injuries as well as over 800 deaths
annually. Furthermore, studies have also suggested that more
than 50,000 deaths occur each year as a result of accidents.
However, of these deaths, close to 13% are caused by falling
asleep while driving, which is attributed to the presence of one
or more sleep disorders. This study also conveyed that
sleepiness without necessarily falling asleep is more dangerous,
and may further result into additional car crushes and injuries
and this is as a result of impaired vigilance. Studies also
support the fact that falling asleep and experiencing excessive
sleepiness mainly occur to drivers who go for long distances
and while driving in low traffic areas, which results into little
motor activity.
Impact of sleep disorders on glucose metabolism
According to Briançon-Marjollet et al. (2015), there is a
correlation between sleep disorders and glucose metabolism,
particularly, endocrine and molecular metabolisms. Inadequate
sleep duration, together with irregular sleep may impair an

7. individual’s cognitive performance. However, this also
interferes with one’s sleep quality and quantity, which are
significant determinants of whole body metabolism. Studies
have also suggested that sleep impairments may lead to the
development of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), as well as an
increase in obesity epidemic.
A number of large scale cross-sectional epidemiological
studies have also depicted that in hypertensive patients and
pregnant women, lack of enough sleep is associated with the
development of T2DM, or impairments in glucose tolerance, and
this is more common in women as asserted by Briançon-
Marjollet et al. (2015). Furthermore, short sleep duration, which
leads to development of sleep disorders, is also associated with
a number of pre-diabetic features, for instance, resistance to
insulin levels and whole body indices, heightening of
postprandial glucose as well as fasting hyperglycemia among
others. Additionally, sleep disorders also have negative impacts
on glycemic control. Another health impact of sleep disorders is
that it regulates an individual’s appetite. For instance, short
sleep duration has been considered as an independent risk factor
for weight gain, as this leads to accumulation of fats in the
abdomen. Biologically, this has been evidenced by a number of
studies and due to the fact that those who sleep for short hours
usually prefer taking foods rich in carbohydrates and fats which
increase their caloric intake by approximately 20% per day
(Briançon-Marjollet et al., 2015).
Sleep and ageing
Studies have extensively determined the association
between sleep and ageing. Most significantly, a number of
studies have focused on the impacts of sleep on ageing. The
quality and quantity of sleep should be taken into consideration
to reduce any sleep complications that may arise. For instance,
a study done by Stanley (2005) depicts that there is a positive
relationship between short sleep duration and ageing. This study
suggests that individuals who have short duration of sleep
usually age faster than those who sleep for the recommended

8. sleeping duration of averagely 8 hours per day. According to
this study, normal sleep patterns vary across an individual’s
life-course and most significantly, elderly and ageing
individuals reported cases of more disrupted, and less efficient
sleep. This results into an increase in daytime somnolence,
which may greatly impact daytime performance, as well as
overall health of the victim.
Effects of sleep disorder on PD
Although most studies have suggested that there is a
relationship between sleep disorders and an individual’s overall
health, a number of studies have also suggested that there exists
an association between sleep disorder and non-motor symptoms
of Parkinson’s disease. According to the study by Neikrug et al.
(2013), sleep disorders are regarded as risk factors for fatigue
complaints, depressive symptoms, poor QoL, and decline in
cognitive performance among others. Furthermore, the study
also depicted that if the number of sleep disorders is increased,
then an individual may end up experiencing non-motor symptom
impairment. In this study, PD patients were used as the study
participants and it was found that non-motor PD symptoms were
largely predicted by the presence of comorbid sleep disorders.
Impact of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance
According to a study by Alhola & Polo-Kantola (2007)
conveys that sleep disorders have greatly impacted cognitive
performance of the affected individuals. This is because
individuals having short sleep durations usually develop
working memory impairments, and this reduces the cognitive
performance of the victims. However, the study only focuses on
one population, and very few studies have been done to compare
these outcomes, if several factors such as age, gender, ethnicity,
and social status are varied. Furthermore, several studies have
also supported the fact that aging people’s cognitive
performance is generally poor, however, SD lowers these
persons’ cognitive performance. Furthermore, gender is also a
factor to be considered while studying the significat impacts of

9. SD on cognitive performance since this study confers that
women are more likely to endure prolonged wakefulness more
than their male counterparts. Individual traits also help in
tolerating SD, although this remains biologically unclear. As a
result, further studies should be carried out to investigate the
biological evidence that support the existence of sleep disorders
among various populations, as well as the reasons behind one
population being more susceptible to SD than the other
populations. For instance, studies should focus on why ageing
individuals develop SD more frequently than the young
individuals. Additionally, more studies should also be centered
on determining the most effective preventive measures that can
be implemented to reduce the health impacts that result from
these sleep disorders.
Conclusion
Over the last few years, there has been an increase in sleep
disorders. This has specifically been attributed to increase in
population, modernization, as well as an increase in
unemployment rates in the US. A number of sleep disorders
have been on the rise including insomnia, sleep deprivation, and
apnea among others. Most researchers have linked sleep
disorders with a number of variables, however, all these are
centered around human health. For instance, studies have linked
sleep disorders with the development of T2DM, cognitive
performance, ageing, and non-symptomatic Parkinson’s disease
among others. As a result, there is a need for individuals to
avoid wakefulness and have quality and quantity sleep, where
quality implies having regular sufficient sleep while on the
other pedestal, quantity implies sleeping for the recommended
average of 8 hours per day. Furthermore, there is also a need to
design some of the most effective strategies that can be used to
ensure that sleep disorders do not adversely affect the victims
through development of diseases such as obesity, Type 2
Diabetes Mellitus, as well as hypertension among others, some
of which may result into terminal diseases. Although most sleep
disorder cases are considered as an individual’s choice or

10. lifestyle, ageing adults should be educated on the significance
of enough and quality sleep, especially on QoL, as well as on
their overall health.
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