Effects of Sleep

The Effects of Going Without Sleep Remember back when Mom used to set bedtimes and we pretended to fall asleep? Well, many of us probably regret not taking advantage of that time. Today, many Americans lack sleep and time always seems to be the first to blame. Many say that there is not enough time in their schedule for sleep when in reality other factors are to blame such as: friends and family, school, work, and social events. Although there are several factors that can prevent us from sleeping, there are numerous consequences of going without sleep which include: drowsiness, a change in behavior, and a change in physical appearance. The main effect of going without sleep is drowsiness. At this stage, you become very weak and you have a hard time concentrating. Insufficient sleep can also cause you to become easily confused and you may begin to develop a memory loss. Most college students consume coffee to keep them awake, but coffee does not work for everyone. Also, it does not always give them the energy they need which in turn cause them to drink energy drinks. Although all they are seeking is the energy to help them stay awake, they are actually consuming large quantities of sugar that is not good for their overall health. Another effect of lacking sleep is a change in behavior. The lack of sleep can certainly affect the brain’s ability to learn. You can have difficulty performing daily tasks or operating a vehicle. If you lack the sleep and are operating a vehicle, your chances of being or having an accident are high. You feel very tired and are easily drifting in and out of reality. Also your hand-eye coordination is risky and you are not as quick to react as you normally would be. In a situation as this, you are better off not driving at all. Most effects of going without sleep affect our daily performance, but sleep can also effect of physical appearance. If you look at a person who has had a sufficient amount of sleep and compare it to a person who has not had enough sleep, the only similarity you would find is their exhaustion. The difference would be the dark circles and bags that form under the eyes. This could cause you to look older and tired giving you a worn-out appearance. Getting rid of the dark circles would be very difficult. Some assume that the only way of clearing their face of them is by covering it up with make-up, but males on the other hand would not be able to hide them away as easily. The best option is to take advantage of your time and make room for sleep to avoid the consequence of looking older than you should. Sleep takes up a good portion of our lives. As children, our mothers constantly enforced those bedtimes even though the majority of us would ignore them. For the teenagers, those bedtimes were long gone and were taken advantage of by attempting to stay up as late as possible. Then there are the adults, who struggle to find enough time to sleep and end up setting those bedtimes for themselves that they ignored as kids. Overall, sleep is vital to our lives, therefore we should make time for it.