Abstract

Twenty-five Georgia
state university students were surveyed with a 15-question survey about their
problems on sleep deprivation. Most of the respondents were African-American
females between the ages 18 to 23 years old. The survey participants responded
to whether they deal with sleep deprivation or not, what methods they use to
deal with it, and if those methods work for them of not. The data suggest that
the majority respondents sleep six to seven hours every night by the survey
sample. The data suggest that taking naps during the days sometimes helps the
respondents deal with them losing sleep due to other engagements.

Chapter One: Overview

Sleep deficiency is a common public health problem in the United States. College Students are one of the most sleep deprived populations. Research at Brown University has found that approximately 11% of students reported good sleep, while 73% reported sleep problems. 18% of college men and 30% of college women report having suffered from insomnia in the past 3 months. (2016, Campusmindworks.com) Lack of sleep can cause you to forget things, and can impair your ability to learn. Sleep deprivations is a condition that occurs when you don’t get enough sleep. Sleeping is a basic human need, like eating, drinking, and breathing.

Like these other needs,
sleeping is a vital part of the foundation for good health and well-being
throughout your lifetime. Sleep deficiency can lead to physical and mental
health problems, injuries, loss of productivity and a greater risk at death. People in all age groups report not getting enough sleep, and is also
linked to other health problems such as heart disease, kidney disease, high
blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, obesity, and depression. It is also associated
with increased risk of injury in teens, and children too.

Driver sleepiness that is not related to alcohol, is responsible for serious car crash injuries and death. But in the elderly, sleep deficiency might be linked to an increased risk of falls and broken bones. (2012, nhlbi.nih.gov) Your ability to function well and feel well while you’re awake depends on whether you’re getting enough total sleep of each type of sleep. It also depends on whether you’re sleeping at a time when your body is prepared and ready to sleep if you aren’t getting enough sleep, you are sleeping at the wrong times, or have poor quality sleep, you’ll likely feel very tired during the day, or you may not feel refreshed and alert when you wake up. (2012, nhlbi.nih.gov) This paper will survey two-year college students on their experience with sleep deprivation, what strategies they do to deal with it, and if those strategies they use are working for them.  

Chapter Two: Review of
Literature

In 1992-1993 the
Congressionally appointed National Commission on Sleep Disorders Research,
chaired by Dr. William C. Dement, has determined the extent striking findings
of the Commission’s report is a startling lack of information about sleep
disorders among general practitioners. The lack of information has resulted in
misdiagnoses and mistreatments of patients estimated in the millions, very
often in cases where a little knowledge and the right treatment might have
worked wonders. (Stanford.edu) In 1894, Russian scientist Marie de Manaceine
started experimenting on puppies to test the effects of sleep deprivation on
the brain. The outcome was unexpected in that all the 10 test subjects died. (2017,
Sleepjunkies.com)

Sleep deprivation is a
form of torture that goes back a long way. An Italian lawyer, “Hippolytus de
Marseillaise” is credited with being a pioneer, adding sleep to the arsenal of
the Catholic Inquisition. The idea soon gained widespread acceptance. The
globalization of this phenomenon was demonstrated by revelations owns in 2008
that a study of “Chinese Community techniques” was being used as training
material for interrogators based at Guantanamo Bay.  In 1930, the former Soviet Union, during the Stalin
era, established the Gulag, a network of forced labor camp, to preserve the
functions of the states system. Approximately 14 million detainees passed
through the camps, which were documented in a first-hand account by Nobel Prize
winning author Alessandro Solzhenitsyn. (2017, Sleepjunkies.com)

The US interrogators
used multiple tactics to keep their prisoners awake. Operation Sandman, also
known as the “frequent flyer” program involved moving prisoners form cell to
cell every hour or two. “Monstering” was the term interrogators used in
Afghanistan to play a game of “who could last the longest” between prisoner and
interrogators. Another common and often bizarre technique was that everything
from hard rock to Sesame Street at deafening levels, was designed to drive them
crazy. Sleep deprivation was often combined with shackling. The prisoner would
be chained up in either a standing of horizontal position or sometimes in a
chair, for up to 11 days at a time to prevent to the detainee from falling asleep.
(2017, sleepjunkies.com)

Experiments in total
sleep deprivation produce startling, regrettable results. Take the case of
Peter Tripp, a New York disc jockey who stayed awake for 201 hours
broadcasting, as a publicity stunt. Tripp performed this feat first in a glass
booth in Times Square, then a hotel room with laboratory equipment monitored by
medical personnel. The longer Tripp went without sleep, the more medical
assistance he required, because his brain gradually gave way under the strain.
In three days, he developed inappropriate affect, or incongruous emotional reactions
(laughing, anger) that didn’t match the stimuli producing them. The next day,
Tripp began to hallucinate, which soon progressed to full-blown paranoid psychosis.
(Fallingasleep.net)

Sleep researchers are
interested in studying sleep restriction, measuring what happens to your brain
and body when you get some, but not enough sleep. These studies focus on either
mental disruption or measurable physical changes, like altered hormone or
neurotransmitter levels. Sleep restriction studies have the potential to
explain the wide range of symptoms observed in sleep deprivation patients, and
quantify the health effects of what has become the common practice of sleeping
too little. Two well-known studies of restricted sleep, conducted concurrently
and designed to complement each other in terms of data gathered, gave the
medical world a comprehensive picture of what happens if subject sleep anywhere
from three to nine hours per night. In considering those numbers, bear in mind
Americans average 6.9 hours of sleep per night during the week. Both studies used
the same performance yardstick, a test called the psychomotor vigilance task
(PVT) which measures reaction time during periods of pressing the space bar in
response to a changing display on a computer monitor. The PVT is easy to do
successfully for the well-rested, and is considered a predictor of workplace functioning.
(fallingasleep.net)

Subjects sleeping eight
of nine hours did consistently good work in the PVT, showing no changes as the
studies went on. But the other groups, even the seven-hour sleepers, not only
performed less well to begin with, but deteriorated in competence as the
studies progressed. The effects were marked, in no way subtle, and the
cognitive deficits induced by lack of sleep were serious enough that they would
be noticeable on a day-to-day basis. The available research states there are a
few people who can sleep five hours or less each night, and there are others at
the opposite end of the distribution who need nine to ten hours of sleep. But
the eight-hour mark in the curve is where most human beings must fall in order
to turn is a good performance, and too few of us currently achieve that
standard. (fallingasleep.net)

Chapter Three:
Methodology

The survey of sleep deprivation consists of 15 questions. The first three questions are demographic questions. They are age, gender, and ethnic background. The remaining 12 questions are in multiple format response.

The data for the survey
will be gathered from surveying students from Georgia State University. The survey
instrument will be issued to the students between the hours of 11AM to 1AM on
Tuesday and Thursday. Twenty-five instruments will be issued. The surveyor will
provide pencils and randomly ask each third person to complete a survey
instrument. The surveyor will wait while the respondents complete the
instruments and return it to the surveyor. This process will continue until all
25 instruments have been completed. All data will be tabulated using
descriptive statistics.

Chapter Four: Results

4.1: Age of Respondents

As indicated in the table 4.1, 14 (56%) of
the respondents were between 18-20 years of age, 10 (40%) of respondents were
between 20-23 years of age, one (4%) of the respondent were between 24-29, and
zero of the respondents were age 30 and above. The data suggest the majority (56%)
of the respondents were between 18-20 years of age.

Table 4.2: Gender
Respondents

As indicated in the table 4.2, 15 (60%) of
the respondents were female, 10 (40%) of the respondents were males. The data suggests
that the majority (60%) of the respondents were female.

Table 4.3: Ethnic Background of
Respondents

As indicated in table 4.3, 19 (76%) of the
respondents were African American, two (8%) of the respondents were Asian
American, two (8%) of the respondents were European American, zero of the
respondents were Hispanics, and two (8%) of the respondents were in the other
category. The data suggest that the majority of the respondents were African
American.

Table 4.4: On an average school night
in college, I am most likely to sleep.

As indicated in the table 4.4, 10 (20%) of
respondents sleep 4 to 5 hours on an average college night,12(48.0) of the
respondents sleep 6 to 7 hours on a college night, three (12%) of the respondents
sleep 8 to 9 hours on a college night, zero of the respondents sleep 10 or more
hours on a college night. The data above states that (88%) of the majority only
sleep 4 to 7 hours on an average college night.

Table 4.5: I am most likely to ____
before bed.

As indicated in the table 4.5, three (12)
of the respondents watch television before going to bed, three (12%) of the
respondents talk on the phone before going to bed, two (8.0) of the respondents
eat a snack before going to bed, 14 (56.0) of the respondents use the computer
of electronic devices before going to sleep. According to the data above, the
majority (56%)of the respondents use the computer of electronic devices before
going to bed.

Table 4.6: I normally make up for sleep
loss with caffeine (coffee, tea, energy drink etc.)

As indicated in table 4.6, four (16%) of
the respondents frequently make up for sleep loss with caffeine, six (24.0) of
the respondents sometimes use caffeine to make up for sleep, five (20%) of the
respondents seldom use caffeine to make up for sleep, 10 (40%) of the
respondents never use caffeine to make up for sleep loss. The data suggest that
the majority (60%) of the respondents drink caffeine very rarely and never
drink caffeine to make up for sleep.

Table 4.7: Which of the following
causes you to lose sleep?

As indicated in table 4.7, four (7.0) of
the respondents says that video games causes them to lose sleep, eight (14.0)
of the respondents said that socializing with friends causes them to lose
sleep, one (1.7) of the respondents says that dealing with anxiety causes them
to lose sleep, zero of the respondents deal with small children causes them to
lose sleep, nine (15.7) of the respondents said that work causes them to lose
sleep, nine (15.7) of the respondents said the Internet causes them to lose
sleep, 16 (28.0) of the respondents said that college assignments and studying
causes them to lose sleep, two (3.5) of the respondents said that depression
causes them to lose sleep, two (3.5) of the respondents said that partying
causes them to lose sleep, one (1.7) of the respondents said that they deal
with sleep disorder which causes them to lose sleep, one (1.7) of the
respondents said that disruptive house mates causes them to lose sleep. Three
(5.2) of the respondents said that family commitments cause them to lose sleep,
one (1.7) of the respondents said that other reasons cause them to lose sleep.
The data suggest that the majority (%) tend to lose sleep because of college
assignments and studying, work and being on the internet.

Table 4.8: after a night of very little
sleep, you are likely to experience the following.

As indicated In the table 4.8, nine (13.8)
of the respondents have difficulty concentrating after a night of very little
sleep, seven (10.7) of the respondents have mood swings after a night of very
little sleep, 10 (15.3) of the respondents suffer from irritability after a
night of very little sleep, five (7.6) of the respondents get headaches after a
night of very little sleep, 15 (23.0) of respondents suffer from lack of
motivation after a night of very little sleep, seven (10.7) of the respondents
suffer from absentmindedness, 12 (18.4) of the respondents have an increased
likelihood of dozing off during the day. The data suggest that the majority
(55.2%) deal with lack of motivation, increased likelihood of dozing off during
the day, and difficulty concentrating after a night of very little sleep.

Table 4.9: I take naps during the day.

As indicated in table 4.9, six (24.0) of
the respondents frequently take naps during the day, four (16.0) of the respondents
sometimes take naps during the day, 15 (60.0) of the respondents seldom take
naps during the day, zero of the respondents never take naps during the day.
The data suggest that the majority (60%) of the respondents seldom take naps
during the day.

Table 4.10: My school work load does
not impact my ability to feel well rested.

As indicated in the table 4.10, zero of
the respondents strongly agree that their work load does not impact their
ability to feel well rested, two (8.0) of the respondents agree that their
school work load does not impact them, eight (32.0) of the respondents feel
neutral about their school work load impacting them, 11 (44.0) of the
respondents disagree that their school work load does not impact them to feel
well rested, four (16.0) of the respondents strongly disagree that their school
work load does not impact them. The data suggest that the majority (76%) of the
respondents disagree and feel neutral about their workloads impacting their
ability to feel well rested.

Table 4.11: How often do you take
sleep-aid medications?

As indicated in the table 4.11, zero of
the respondents frequently take sleep-aid medication, one (4.0) of the respondents
sometimes take sleep-aid medications, five (20.0) of the respondents seldom
take sleep-aid medications, 19 (76.0) of the respondents never take sleep-aid
medications. The data suggest that the majority (76%) never take sleep-aid
medication.

Table 4.12: Due to lack of sleep, I am
unable to focus during exams/lecture.

As indicated in table 4.12, three (12.0)
of the respondents strongly agree that due to lack of sleep they are unable to
focus on exams or lectures, seven (28.0) of the respondents agree that due to
lack of sleep they are unable to focus, nine (36.0) of the respondents feel
neutral to them having lack of sleep, three (12.0) of the respondents disagree
that the lack of sleep makes them unable to focus during exams, three (12.0) of
the respondents strongly disagree that the lack of sleep makes them unable to
focus during exams or lectures. The data suggest that the majority (64%) of the
respondents agree and are neutral that lack of sleep makes them unable to focus
on exams and lectures.

Table 4.13: I often find myself
cramming for exams.

As indicated on the table 4.13, eight
(32.0) of the respondents frequently find themselves cramming for exams, nine
(36.0) of the respondents find themselves sometimes cramming for exams, seven
(28.0) of the respondents find themselves cramming for exams, one (4.0) of the
respondents never find themselves cramming for exams. The data suggest that the
majority (68%) of the respondents frequently and sometimes find themselves
cramming for exams.

Table 4.14: I exercise regularly

As indicated in the table 4.14, five
(20.0) of the respondents frequently exercise regularly, 12 (48.0) of respondents
sometimes exercise regularly, five (20.0) of the respondents seldom exercise
regularly, three (12.0) of the respondents never exercise. The data suggest
that the majority (68%) sometimes, frequently and seldom exercise regularly.

Table 4.15: How do you score on a test
after staying up all night.

As indicated in the 4.15, zero of the respondents
score 0%-25% on a test after staying up all night, four (16.0) of the
respondents score 26%-50% on a test after staying up all night, 10 (40.0) of
the respondents score 51%-75% on a test after staying up all night, 11 (44.0)
of the respondents score 76%-100% on a test after staying up all night. The
data suggest that the majority (84%) of the respondents score 51% to 100% on a
test after staying up all night.

Chapter Five: Summary and Discussion

Two-year college
students were surveyed about if they deal with sleep deprivation and how. This
survey sought to find out the opinions of survey participants about sleep
deprivation, if they deal with sleep deprivation, how and what methods they use
to deal with it, and if those methods work for them.

The typical respondent
was African-American females that were between the ages of 18 and 23. when
asked how many hours they sleep on a typical school night, the majority of
respondents reported they would sleep six to seven hours a night.

This survey had three
inquires. The first inquiry focused on if the students deal with sleep
deprivation. The data suggest that the majority of the respondents do deal with
sleep deprivation.

The second inquiry
sought to find out how the respondents deal with losing sleep. The data suggest
that the majority of the respondents take naps, or make up from sleep loss with
caffeine.

The third inquiry
sought to find out if the methods the respondents are taking and improving
their performance or was it hurting their performance. The data suggest that
for the majority, those methods are not really improving their performance.

There were no
difficulties in conducting this experiment. The process went by smoothly.

In the future, I would
recommend going to sleep and waking up at the same time every day to try and
keep the same schedule because changing the times can disrupt your bodies sleep
and wake cycle. Avoid nicotine and caffeine because they are stimulants that
can interfere with sleep. Use relaxation techniques of take a hot bath before
bed and also try not to eat heavy or large meals right before bed.

References

• A Brief History of Sleep Deprivation and Torture. (2016, August 20). Retrieved April 12, 2017.   from https://sleepjunkies.com/features/sleep-deprivation-and-torture-a-brief-history/
• D. (n.d.). A Brief History of Sleep Research. Retrieved April 10, 2017, from http://web.stanford.edu/~dement/history.html
• Sleep Deprivation. (2017). Retrieved April 10, 2017. From http://fallingasleep.net/deprivation
• Sleep. (2016). Retrieved April 10, 2017, fromhttp://campusmindworks.org/students/selfcare/sleep.asp
• What are Sleep Deprivation and Deficiency? (2010, February 22). Retrieved April 10, 2017, from http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov.health/health-topics/topics/sdd/