"I could not find my playing cup, and I obeyed commands like a marionette The soles of my shoes seemed to be of double thickness, I felt dizzy and exhausted, and panic and paranoia overcame me. The fear of loosing self control was my reason for stopping." -Liesbeth.
We have all heard numerous stories about those who suffer from sleeping disorders. Taber's states that "Dyssomnias, sleep disturbances or excessive sleepiness, include various types of insomnia, hypersomnia, narcolepsy, sleep apnea, brief limb jerks, and restless legs syndrome." Extensive trials and research have all been done to explain why these happen and even some methods of treatment. What about some side effects of theses sleep disturbances? Have there been studies as well? There certainly has. Impaired memory is the state in which an individual experiences the inability to remember or recall bits of information or behavioral skills (Tabers). And can be linked to pathophysiological or situational causes that are either temporary or permanent. Numerous studies have shown a strong correlation between sleep deprivation and memory dysfunction.
If you live to be seventy years of age and slept the average amount of hours a night you could spend over 200,000 hours asleep (Kryger). If our species has been planned to commit such a large amount of time to this action it must fulfill some important, perhaps significant, function. As fundamental as drinking or eating, sleeping can be described as a certain necessity that all animals need. Although it cannot be proven beyond the shadow of a doubt what the evolutionary advantages are, there have been many studies that show what happens if we do not sleep. These slight changes in behavior can be very debilitating. Some 30 to 40 million Americans have sleep disorders in which they do not get there comfortable nights sleep. By not getting enough sleep, a person will most likely not be able to handle the daily toils and tribulations of life.
