Chronic Sleep Deprivation

Adults need about seven to nine hours of sleep every night. However, many get fewer than six hours.

IU Health Sleep Disorders physicians dedicate their work to ensuring you get good sleep every night by taking time to listen, understand you as an individual, and treat you with empathy.

Your IU Health physician will care for you as a whole person. He or she understands that without the proper amount of sleep, you can have serious health and lifestyle consequences such as:

Poor performance at work. Your performance in work and school may suffer because of daytime sleepiness.
Poor concentration. Your ability to concentrate, remember and process information suffers because your mind cannot rest and repair itself during sleep.
Increased risk of diabetes. Sleep helps your body regulate your blood sugar. Without sleep, your blood sugar levels may vary and affect your ability to regulate blood sugar during the day, leading to diabetes.
Increased blood pressure. Lack of sleep affects your heart. When sleep deprived, your blood pressure may rise and increase your risk of heart disease.
Increased risk of obesity. When you don’t get enough sleep, your appetite increases, causing you to choose unhealthy foods or eat too much, resulting in weight gain.
Increased risk of accidents. Your inability to concentrate puts you at risk for accidents both at work and when driving.
Increased risk of death. All these factors added up, put you at an overall increased risk of death compared to someone who receives enough restful sleep every night.

Overview

Your IU Health physician will care for you as a whole person. He or she understands that without the proper amount of sleep, you can have serious health and lifestyle consequences such as:

Poor performance at work. Your performance in work and school may suffer because of daytime sleepiness.
Poor concentration. Your ability to concentrate, remember and process information suffers because your mind cannot rest and repair itself during sleep.
Increased risk of diabetes. Sleep helps your body regulate your blood sugar. Without sleep, your blood sugar levels may vary and affect your ability to regulate blood sugar during the day, leading to diabetes.
Increased blood pressure. Lack of sleep affects your heart. When sleep deprived, your blood pressure may rise and increase your risk of heart disease.
Increased risk of obesity. When you don’t get enough sleep, your appetite increases, causing you to choose unhealthy foods or eat too much, resulting in weight gain.
Increased risk of accidents. Your inability to concentrate puts you at risk for accidents both at work and when driving.
Increased risk of death. All these factors added up, put you at an overall increased risk of death compared to someone who receives enough restful sleep every night.

Your IU Health Sleep Disorders physician will evaluate, diagnose and treat sleep disorders that affect your health. Your physician will work with you to understand how sleep deprivation interrupts your life, and negatively affects your emotional, mental and physical health.

Your physician will strive to help you return to better health by developing personalized strategies for sleep that fit your lifestyle.

Your IU Health Sleep Disorders physician will use the following services to increase the quality of your sleep:

Education. Your physician will teach you lifestyle changes and good sleep hygiene practices that allow you to rest easier.
Diagnosis of sleep conditions. Your physician will uncover the causes behind your sleep deprivation through comprehensive testing. Your physician will offer daytime and nighttime sleep studies to monitor your breathing, brain activity and muscle movements that provide the information he or she needs to diagnose a sleep disorder. For both types of tests, an electroencephalogram (EEG) monitors your brain activity to map out your sleeping patterns and identify abnormalities.
Referral to specialists. If another condition causes your sleep deprivation, such as kidney disease, arthritis or diabetes, your physician will refer you to another Indiana University Health expert for treatment.

Treatment

Your IU Health Sleep Disorders physician will evaluate, diagnose and treat sleep disorders that affect your health. Your physician will work with you to understand how sleep deprivation interrupts your life, and negatively affects your emotional, mental and physical health.

Your physician will strive to help you return to better health by developing personalized strategies for sleep that fit your lifestyle.

Your IU Health Sleep Disorders physician will use the following services to increase the quality of your sleep:

Education. Your physician will teach you lifestyle changes and good sleep hygiene practices that allow you to rest easier.
Diagnosis of sleep conditions. Your physician will uncover the causes behind your sleep deprivation through comprehensive testing. Your physician will offer daytime and nighttime sleep studies to monitor your breathing, brain activity and muscle movements that provide the information he or she needs to diagnose a sleep disorder. For both types of tests, an electroencephalogram (EEG) monitors your brain activity to map out your sleeping patterns and identify abnormalities.
Referral to specialists. If another condition causes your sleep deprivation, such as kidney disease, arthritis or diabetes, your physician will refer you to another Indiana University Health expert for treatment.

Read more about the effects of chronic sleep deprivation to better understand its effects on your health and lifestyle.

Centers for Disease Control (CDC):The CDC looks at studies showing the increase in sleep deprivation in the United States.
National Center for Biotechnology Information: This page discusses the effects of sleep deprivation on your health.

Resources

Read more about the effects of chronic sleep deprivation to better understand its effects on your health and lifestyle.

Centers for Disease Control (CDC):The CDC looks at studies showing the increase in sleep deprivation in the United States.
National Center for Biotechnology Information: This page discusses the effects of sleep deprivation on your health.