In societies built upon the production of goods and services, personal health is not deemed a necessity, but a luxury. While the term “personal care” is broad, one of the most important factors to consider is sleep. Many individuals are sleep deprived- this is not to say that people are unable to sleep at all- and many find that schedule conflicts correlate to constant and chronic sleep deprivation. But what is chronic sleep deprivation defined as? It is recommended that an adult sleeps upwards of 6 hours, and anything less than can be classified as chronic. Chronic sleep deprivation occurs when individuals consistently lack sleep, and the cumulative total per night is less than 6 hours (it is not chronic if sleeping less than 6 hours is not constantly prevalent).
As showcased in many studies, when an adult sleeps less than 6 hours nightly, they are at risk for multiple different health problems. Sleep deprived adults are, for instance, “7.5 times more likely to have a higher-than-healthy body mass index (BMI).” (Cartwright, 2010). Other physical aspects that are threatened by the lack of sleep caused by the societies of today include an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and diabetes (ibid.). While these physical dangers may seem like common sense, the little thought of factor is what role sleep plays in emotional and mental health. The role of sleep, or lack thereof, on mental instability can be examined due to an in-depth analysis a review conducted by Waters, Et al. (2018). Found in the review of 21 eligible studies is that, after 24 hours, humans begin to show signs of mental changes that can possibly correlate to an altered emotional state.
Then, after 5 days, mental instability is well developed (Waters, 2018). However, it does not take 24 hours without sleep to gain an altered emotional state. In terms of emotional health, sleep problems and a lack of sleep can indirectly correlate to anxiety and mood disorders by suppression and rumination of emotions (Palmer, 2018). With the knowledge of this information, it is reasonable to conclude that, in the societies of today, the misconception that sleep deprivation is acceptable must be addressed. With the level of treatment and help available for identifiable mental health disorders, it is important to recognize that sleep can possibly play an important factor on the emotional and mental state of an individual, and that societies cannot continue to ‘spend’ health this way without detrimental consequences.
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Going without sleep is always a seemingly bad idea and yet, students pull ‘all-nighters’. Some adults are required financially to take on two jobs, resulting in nights without much sleep. This is commonplace in American society, and the general populous knows enough of the consequences to avoid depriving themselves of all sleep. However, there is not much knowledge in the general populous about what exactly happens to the mental state of an individual when this happens. Thus, what happens after the brain is forced to stay in a conscious state for over 24 hours? As it is inhumane to conduct experiments of this nature today, one may gain insight into this by reviewing older studies.
In the review conducted by Waters, Et al. (2018), it was found that the general progression is “psychosis” as more and more sleep is withheld. The review included studies that ranged from only a 24-hour period, to a period of 11 days without sleep. 21 studies in total were used. The consensus, aside from one study, was that withholding sleep for as little as 24 hours resulted in altered mental states and mood changes. Participants began to perceive somatosensory changes, and later began to experience visual distortions. Auditory hallucinations began to manifest as well, and after 5 days, the participants were operating under delusions that were firmly held. As the brain is forced to stay conscious for a longer and longer period, individuals may become- frankly- psychotic.
So, how long can one theoretically go without sleep? In a study conducted with rats, it was found that the maximum was 3 weeks. However, the 3-week mark was not where the rats simply fell fully asleep even when agitated; it was when the rats died. This experiment was conducted by placing a control rat and a ‘wired’ rat on a turntable. ‘Wired’ in this case means that the rat was legitimately ‘wired’: the rat was implanted with a sensor built to detect the electronic signals of the nearly sleeping brain. The table used was raised over water and would turn when the ‘wired’ rat’s brain began to show signs of sleep.
This slow spinning would cause the rat to walk around (to avoid slipping into the water), and effectively kept the rat awake. The control rat, however, could sleep in small intervals when the wired rat was kept awake and the table was not spinning. As time progressed, the ‘wired’ rats became more and more irritable, such as shown in humans (Waters, 2018). Eventually, the 3-week mark hit. The wired rats died and were identified for cause of death. In the autopsies, it was found that that the rats had died due to overheating. In sleep, the body naturally cools and heals. With the rats, there was no option to ‘cool down’, and thus the rats boiled in their own bodies (Cartwright, 2010).
So, a possible limit is 3 weeks. This will never be experimentally found in humans lest all morals cease to exist. And rarely- if ever- will it be, however, that many people find themselves needing to stay awake for this long. Most people do not withhold sleep recklessly, and because they attain at least a little sleep a night, they will not suffer as major consequences as the rats did. However, one cannot assume that at least gaining some sleep is safe. Sleeping less than 6 hours a night is cause for a slew of conditions, to which none are favorable. Sleep has been shown to play multiple roles in the body and restricting the amount of sleep to a less than satisfactory amount each night has legitimate consequences. Meddling with sleep is to meddle with cardiovascular health, make the onset of diabetes more possible, possibly increase the risk of stroke, and an overall heightened risk of hypertension (Arsiwalla, 2017).
Thus, a lack of sleep leads to multiple health problems, and seems to estrange the mental state; to which there is a theoretical limit of 3 weeks before either permanent consequences ensue, possibly death. What else can lack of sleep do to individuals? These symptoms, unfortunately, are not the only things withholding sleep can do to the body. So, in the spirit of curiosity, what can a lack of sleep do to the emotional state? Can it influence how a person may feel on a day to day basis? Not only that, but how can sleep influence another aspect of emotional lives: relationships?
It is important to mention beforehand how a person feels can’t be truly calculated like an everyday math equation; it is possible to conduct surveys, monitor hormone and neurotransmitter (such as serotonin) levels in the body, and conduct scans of the brain. However, these may not be totally effective. A blood test and nerves long before it may skew the level of serotonin in the body. A brain scan to see which areas of the brain “light up” with different stimuli may only be applicable to certain stimuli. It is very challenging to recreate everyday life in a lab or under controlled circumstances. Thus, data may not be perfect, but with a large enough population sample, it becomes apparent where the general trends lie. Tools suited to credible analysis include surveys and lab work conducted with a large population sample. Utilizing surveys, the work of Palmer Et al. (2018) draws upon solid conclusions from a population sample of N = 10,148. Similarly, a study conducted by the University of Northern Iowa (Arsiwalla, 2017) employed a wide range study as well. Thus, although the results cannot perfectly mimic everyday life, the studies are accurate.
So, how does sleep tie in with emotional lives? This is a rather broad question, and to answer it, it will be broken down into smaller segments. First, what is the effect of sleep on emotional regulation? Emotional regulation is a process in which one may modulate emotions; with too little emotional regulation, an individual becomes more and more hysterical; with too much, one becomes calloused and avoidant. When sleep deprivation is thrown into the mix, emotional regulation strategies change. On a normal day, one may deal with stressful emotional situations by the following, as outlined by Palmer Et al. (2018): suppression, rumination (to ridicule oneself after the fact), avoidance, reappraisal (to downplay everything), problem solving, and acceptance.
While some alternatives (such as acceptance or reappraisal) are healthier than others (such as suppression), they may all be present to some extent. In the study, it was found that a greater level of sleep problems changed the level to which these strategies were expressed. In all, suppression, rumination, and avoidance all appeared more frequently and in greater ratios when the participants reported a heightened level of sleeping problems. Strangely, acceptance was also shown to be heightened when less sleep was obtained (reappraisal had no correlation) (Palmer 2018).
What does emotional regulation have to do with the emotional state of an individual? These regulation rates become skewed as sleep is lost, and thus become pathways for other problems to occur. Abnormal regulation can significantly impact mood detrimentally and increase the possibility of qualifying for an anxiety disorder (Palmer 2018), as well as depression. However, a lack of sleep may not be the sole cause for these conditions. A common symptom of depression is a lack of sleep due to either the difficulty obtaining it or the shortened NREM periods of depressed individuals (it was found that the NREM time obtained by those who are severely depressed was half the normal length [Cartwright 2010]). Thus, there is a slight discrepancy in whether depression is a cause or a symptom. Nevertheless, following a linear path affords the following logic: sleep deprivation causes abnormal emotional regulation, which can then lead to anxiety, depression, and mood changes for the worse. Thus, sleep deprivation is an indirect cause of all the above.
Additionally, these factors become important when looking at the study by Ariswalla (2017). The study was driven by the lack of knowledge of the role of sleep in the health of romantic relationships. As it cites, and as is common knowledge, people who are in stable and healthy relationships report being happier, and “…show better physical and mental health, and have lower mortality.” The added support of another individual allows for easier emotional regulation, and individuals may learn how to more effectively self-regulate with the help of a significant other.
Still, there are individuals who either suffer from attachment or simply avoid attachment altogether. As Arsiwalla highlights, individuals who actively avoidant attachment emotionally regulate and cope through avoidance and suppression. Thus, if sleep deprivation heightens avoidance, suppression, and rumination, is it possible that sleep deprivation can cause individuals to become more avoidant, placing strain on one’s relationship and creating problems for both participants emotional state? 172 undergraduate students later, the answer was found to be yes by Ariswalla. Found by the study were the following relations, as shown in Figure 1. Insecurity correlated to poor physical and mental health, and abnormal emotional regulation. Then, insecurity in a relationship was linked to sleep deprivation and poor nightly sleep.
References
- How Much Sleep Do We Really Need?
- The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Your Body
- The Surprising Effects of Sleep Deprivation You Never Realized
- Chronic Sleep Deprivation and Health
- Sleep Duration and All-Cause Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Studies
- Insufficient Sleep Is a Public Health Epidemic
