Sleep: Disorders and Clinical Implications

When an individual fails to fulfill the sleep demand, sleep debt starts accumulating. Sleep deficit for an extended period may cause severe complications such as excessive daytime sleepiness, mood swing, fatigue, irritability, anxiety, depression, inability to concentrate or a “fuzzy” head, lack of motivation, clumsiness, forgetfulness, and learning deficit. It may also cause frequent illness, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and other medical conditions. Therefore, everyone must have an optimal amount of sleep every night. National Sleep Foundation (USA) has proposed the sleep range as follows: in newborns (0–3 months), 14–17 h; infants (4–11 months), 12–15 h; toddlers (1–2 years), 11–14 h; preschoolers (3–5), 10–13 h; school-aged children (6–13), 9–11 h; teenagers (14–17), 8–10 h; younger adults (18–25) and adults (26–64), 7–9 h; and older adults (65+), 7–8 h at every night. An individual may be sleep deprived if he or she fails to attain the minimum daily recommended time in sleep. Sleep deprivation could be intentional or unintentional. Teenagers and young adults may most likely be intentionally sleep deprived. Persons may, however, not get proper sleep unintentionally because of their profession and obligations. Moreover, consistently being late in going to bed, frequent arousals, or early awakening may also contribute to sleep deprivation. The medical problems such as depression, obstructive sleep apnea, hormone imbalances, and other chronic illnesses may also be the reasons for sleep deprivation. There is no substitute for restorative sleep, but some measures may prevent the implications of sleep loss. Therefore, a certain amount of attention is necessarily required to understand the clinical consequences and prevention from chronic sleep debt. Here, we have reviewed the clinical implications of sleep deprivation and other sleep disorders with their diagnostic features.