By Catherine A. Sanderson, Amherst College
During all the different states of consciousness, the neurons in our brains are communicating, producing electrical pulses known as brain waves. Brain waves change according to what we’re doing and feeling. Faster brain waves indicate we’re feeling wired or hyper-alert, whereas slower brain waves, as in the case of sleep deprivation, indicate that we’re feeling tired or sluggish. Understandably, people who are sleep deprived have trouble concentrating and learning new information.
Beta Brain Waves
Our normal waking state of consciousness indicate the presence of beta brain waves. These brain waves indicate our attention is directed in some way: we are alert, attentive, and engaged in some type of focused mental activity, say problem-solving or decision-making.
During times of peak concentration—such as when we’re fully immersed in a complex project—our brain produces gamma brain waves.
Gamma Brain Waves
Gamma brain waves are the fastest brain waves and indicate we are simultaneously processing information from different parts of the brain. If one is literally sitting on the edge of their seat or as the expression goes ‘firing on all cylinders’, their brain is producing gamma waves.
However, the brain waves of waking life alternate with other types of brain waves found during sleep, an alternating pattern that’s driven by an internal biological clock known as the circadian rhythm.
The Circadian Rhythm
The circadian rhythm creates a consistent pattern of change in the body on a 24- to 25-hour cycle and is governed by about a dozen hormones and neurotransmitters.
For example, our body temperature rises during the night as morning approaches, peaks during the day, dips for a time in the afternoon (when people in many cultures enjoy a siesta) and then drops again before we go to sleep.
Any disruptions in the circadian rhythm leave us feeling a bit groggy. That’s why we experience jet lag when changing time zones and why we have trouble adjusting to day light savings time each spring when we set our clocks forward an hour. Our bodies feel like it is earlier than the clock says.
Disruptions in the Circadian Rhythm
Disruptions in the circadian rhythm can even impair performance in professional athletes. One analysis of major sports leagues—including the NFL, NBA, and NHL—found that teams traveling east win more than teams traveling west.
This finding makes sense because teams who travel east gain a circadian advantage; their bodies think it is earlier than it actually is, so players feel awake and alert. But teams traveling west experience a disadvantage. When games start at 7 pm on the west coast, players from east coast teams feel like it’s 10 pm.
This article comes directly from content in the video series Introduction to Psychology. Watch it now, on Wondrium.
Sleep Deprivation May Cause Serious Accidents
The negative effects of sleep deprivation can even contribute to serious accidents. The Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska, the Union Carbide disaster in India, and the Three Mile Island and Chernobyl nuclear accidents all occurred after midnight, when operators are likely to be most tired.
Numerous plane accidents have been attributed to pilot error caused by sleep deprivation, such as the 2009 crash into the Atlantic of an Air France plane traveling from Brazil to Paris killing 228 people. Black box recordings from that flight captured the captain, who had left the plane in control of two co-pilots, and returned from a nap just before the crash, saying, “I didn’t sleep enough last night. One hour. It’s not enough”.
How to Know If You Suffer From Sleep Deprivation
One way of assessing sleep deprivation is by observing our own sleep patterns and habits. An easy way to measure signs of sleep deprivation is by answering simple questions such as:
- Is it usually a struggle to get out of bed?
- Do you hit the snooze button several times?
- Do you feel tired, irritable and stressed out during the week?
- Do you have trouble concentrating and remembering?
- Do you often fall asleep watching TV?
- Do you usually fall asleep within a couple of minutes of getting into bed?
- Do you feel drowsy while driving?
- Do you often sleep in on weekends?
The more one answers yes to the above questions, the more sleep deprived they are.
General Health Problems
In addition to causing accidents, sleep deprivation can also lead to general health problems. Getting too little sleep also suppresses immune cells that fight off viral infections and hence can lead to more illnesses.
A study led by researchers at UC San Francisco designed a careful study of subjects who volunteered to be infected with cold viruses, finding that the chance of getting a cold rises markedly, the less sleep you get. Volunteers who slept on average less than six hours a night for a week were more than four times as likely to develop a cold compared to those who slept more than seven hours a night.
Sleep deprivation makes us feel more irritable, which explains why married couples have more conflict when one or both spouses is overly tired.
One can safely say that although we hear so much about ways of staying healthy—eat right, exercise regularly, and so on—but one of the best things we can do to improve psychological and physical well-being is to get enough sleep.
Common Questions about Understanding Sleep Deprivation
Disruptions in the circadian rhythm can impair performance in professional athletes. One analysis of major sports leagues—including the NFL, NBA, and NHL—found that teams traveling east win more than teams traveling west.
The negative effects of sleep deprivation can even contribute to serious accidents. The Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska, the Union Carbide disaster in India, and the Three Mile Island and Chernobyl nuclear accidents all occurred after midnight, when operators are likely to be most tired.
Sleep deprivation makes us feel more irritable, which explains why married couples have more conflict when one or both spouses is overly tired.
