The document discusses the causes and effects of sleep deprivation. Some key causes are stress, poor diet/caffeine intake, overworking, and drug/alcohol use. Effects include weakened immune system, memory loss, health issues like heart disease, accidents from drowsiness, obesity, and depression. Ways to prevent sleep deprivation are maintaining a regular sleep schedule, exercising before bed, limiting screen time before bed, improving diet/exercise, and relaxation techniques. The document also provides examples of individuals who went long periods without sleep.

2. Causes
 Stress – Stress is a major cause of sleep deprivation
because it keeps you up at night worrying about
whatever is going on in your life. It’s a common cycle
to fall into when you are stressed you cannot sleep
and from not sleeping you become more stressed.
 Diet - you may not think that what you eat or drink
can effect your sleep, but really it is a major cause of
sleep Deprivation. If you do not get the right amount
of nutrients your body will signal you by not allowing
you to sleep. Also what you drink plays a major roll
in how you will sleep. To much caffeine from soda or
coffee will make you energized and you will not be
able to fall asleep when it is time for you to. Not only
does your diet effect how you sleep but also your
over all body wellness.

3. Causes
 Overwork –the prevalence of how much your job truly effects
you is shown in your sleep. To many times kids and parents
are staying up late to get things done not allowing them to
sleep. Without sleep it ruins your work ethic because you
become less motivated and more lazy. If you would get the
proper sleep you wouldn’t run into the feeling of over working
your self because you would have the energy to get it done
when it is supposed to be.
 Alcohol and drugs – the chemicals in drugs and alcohol
effect your bodies chemistry and throws off your normal
patterns. One of your normal patters would be sleeping and
while with drawing from using or even if one is still using
your body is not in its normal mind state and the brain lets it
know that by making it hard to fall asleep. Your body may feel
tired but the brain is confused by the certain things it is
responding to from the drugs and it makes you not able to
sleep for hours or even days on end. The slow cycle of falling

4. Effects
 When you become sleep deprived it lowers the susceptibility of
your immune system un turn making you more vulnerable to
getting sick witch could lead to major health problems.
 Memory loss - when you do not get enough sleep your body is not
running at one hundred percent thus not allowing your brain to
work at its maximum capacity making you more prone to not
remember things which can effect your daily life crucially.
 Autonomic disorder - which is a visceral dysfunction
syndrome, including the function of the circulatory
system, digestive system disorder and sexual dysfunction, as a
result of this disease, you may be effected by heart disease or
stomach illness.
 Accident - Sleep deprivationwill cause moments of intense
sleepiness which could even be while your driving your car. When
you do not have the right amount of sleep it is comparable to
driving under the influence of alcohol. Every time you step behind
the wheel of a car while you are overly tired you are basically
driving drunk which is putting other people risk beside yourself.

5. Effects
 Obesity – be ready to increase your appetite thus
making you fat. If you do not know the lack of sleep
is very much related to the appetite level of yours. It
is possible to make you obese. With out any energy
from sleep you will be more hungry and you will be
more likely to lay on the couch due to tiredness.
Making you obese.
 Depression –when one does not get the adequate
amount of sleep it makes you feel quite over
whelmed with your life. Many times this leads to
depression because the people get the hopeless
feeling and start to get down on themselves. The
simple way to stop this is to just get the right amount
of sleep at night.

6. Prevention
 Maintain a regular bed-time –a good routine to get into is to
set a regular bedtime, eventually your body will become
familiar with it and every time you lay down to go to bed your
brain will understand it is time to go to bed and you will fall
rate sleep. messing up your sleep schedule could cause to
become almost nocturnal and not able to sleep at all at night.
 Work up a sweat –excersing every day is a good way to get
all your built up energy out and relieve stress and things that
will keep you up at night. It is good idea to get the workout in
a couple hours before your bed time because your body will
have time to relax and prepare for sleep. Exercise is a great
way to keep your sleeping on track.
 Lose interest –technology is one of the main causes of sleep
deprivation because you become so zoned into what your are
doing, whether it is watching TV or a movie or surfing the web
your brain will continue with what is good at the moment and
wont tell you when it is time to go to bed.

7. Prevention
 Improvement in Diet & Exercise Habits – by improving the
diet your body is getting the right nutrients for it to work on
all cylinders thus allowing you to do more activity which will
prevent stress and will make you more tired at night thus
allowing you to fall asleep.
 Relaxation Techniques – many people have said that
meditating or just relaxing before they prepare for bed allows
them to fall asleep easier and stay awake longer. When the
body is relaxed it doesn’t have to worry about certain outside
distractions such as the television which effects your
sleeping habits.
 Seek medical help immediately if you believe that you might
be suffering from sleep deprivation or some other sleep
disorders. Before you fall into the major effects of sleep
deprivation it is important to see a medical physician as soon
as you start noticing the problems you are having.

8. Personal Expiernces
 Randy Gardner holds the scientifically documented record
for the longest period of time a human being has
intentionally gone without sleep not using stimulants of
any kind. Gardner stayed awake for 264 hours (11
days), breaking the previous record of 260 hours held by
Tom Rounds of Honolulu.
 Although this one was not scientifically noted the
experienced thatThai Ngoc born in 1942, claimed in 2006
to have been awake for 33 years or 11,700
nights, according to Vietnamese news.