Causes of Sleep Deprivation

Sleep deprivation is the condition of not having enough sleep or having a low quality of sleep. It affects many people across the world for a variety of reasons.

A variety of diseases or conditions cause sleep deprivation like insomnia (a condition where sleep quality or amount of sleep is reduced), narcolepsy (a condition in which breathing is disturbed during sleep), and sleep apnea (a disease that can cause sudden, uncontrollable periods of sleep during the day). These and other sleep related diseases can be caused by either the environment or genetics. Some, like sleep apnea, are unknown.

Stress and your environment can also cause sleep problems. Sudden or dramatic changes in your life like a wedding or a death can cause a lack of sleep or reduce the quality of sleep. Your job or current tasks can keep you from falling asleep. Temperature and the quality of your bed can greatly affect both your amount and quality of sleep.

Medicines and food can also severely effect sleep. Certain foods like caffiene, sugar, unnatural chemicals, and alcohol can keep you up or reduce the quality of sleep. Medicine can induce sleep, but some medicines have the unwanted side effect of preventing sleep.