Sleep deprivation serves as a hindrance on emotional health because lack of sleep and lack of function targets one’s emotional state, thus causing emotional instability, moodiness, irritability, and/or depression.
Emotional Instability Have you ever noticed that when you are very tired, you can become overly-emotional - even to the point of tears over trivial matters? Matthew Walker, the senior author of a 2007 study that indicated sleep-deprived brains were 60% more emotionally reactive, stated that a sleep-deprived brain is “‘unable to put emotional experiences into context and produce controlled, appropriate responses’” (Klein).
Irritability and Moodiness It is very common for people to be irritable throughout the day if they do not get the amount of sleep they need. Almost 20% of the college students I surveyed admitted to being irritable and moody as a result of getting insufficient hours of sleep. Irritability and moodiness go hand in hand when it comes to sleep deprivation because not getting enough sleep easily makes someone more prone to getting annoyed over minor details, which could cause tension in relationships.
Depression There is a significant amount of data to attest to the fact that sleep deprivation can increase symptoms of depression, given that “depression and sleep are interrelated” (Hershner, Chervin). It is also important to recognize the fact that “both poor sleep quantity and quality can mimic depressive symptoms (e.g. fatigue, decreased motivation and concentration, irritability)” (Gilbert, Weaver). The similarity in symptoms for sleep deprivation and depression thus may impose difficulty on students in realizing that their symptoms can be a direct result of sleep deprivation rather than depression. Nevertheless, the development of depression as a result of sleep deprivation is truly unfortunate and may certainly make itself known when it comes to a student’s academic performance. For instance, the lack of motivation or interest that comes with sleep deprivation and depression makes it difficult for students to take on various tasks that require a lot of time and effort. As a result, a student’s grades may suffer because the student had no motivation or will to complete the assigned task.