Sleep Deficiency

Sleep Deficiency and Sleep Disorders are Common

  • 1 in 3 Americans don't get enough sleep
  • Chronic insomnia affects 10% of adults and 30% of primary care patients
  • Sleep apnea affects 6 million adults

Sleep difficulty occurs across the lifespan and often goes undetected, unreported, and untreated.

Sleep loss can be a contributing factor to:

  • Heart & blood vessel problems
    • High blood pressure
    • Stroke
    • Heart attack
    • Heart failure
  • Diabetes/obesity
  • Depression
  • Dementia - Alzheimers
  • Poor immunity/infection
  • Pain

Effects of sleep loss on daytime function:

  • Sleepiness
  • Fatigue
  • Memory impairment
  • Impaired decision-making
  • Poor relationships
  • Motor vehicle crashes
  • Lower academic performance
  • Poor athletic/physical performance
  • Worse quality of life

Factors Affecting Sleep Loss

Predisposing Factors
  • Personality
  • Genetics
  • Sleep-wake cycle
  • Circadian mechanism
  • Coping mechanism
  • Age
circadian rhythm clock separating night and day sky
Precipitating Factors
  • Situational
  • Environmental
  • Medical
  • Psychiatric
  • Prescription medications
sleep medication bottle
Perpetuating Factors
  • Conditioning
  • Substance abuse
  • Worries/stress
  • Performance anxiety
  • Use of electronic devices at night
  • Poor sleep hygiene behaviors
woman using phone in bed