Joe snaps at his family while walking out the door, and arrives at work, flustered, sloppily dressed, and exhausted from running two blocks to the office building. All day, he can’t focus on his job and he gets easily frustrated and distracted. He finally is able to leave, only to find an ticket on his car. In his hurry that morning he had parked on an illegal spot. What is wrong with this man? The simple problem turns out to be his sleeping habits. Last night, Joe didn’t turn off the tv and get to bed until midnight. Many people do not realize the causes and effects of not getting enough sleep. In this essay, you will see how not getting enough sleep can affect an person’s mindset, performance, health, and relationships.
There are two main causes for sleep deprivation. The first one really depends on whether the individual is what we call a ‘night owl’. A night owl is someone who likes to stay up late. A couple things night owls use to stay up late are reading, listening to music, hanging out with friends, coffee, or technology, such as cell phones, computers, or televisions. Generally, this makes them very tired in the morning, when they have to leave for school or work. Being a night owl is the first cause of sleep deprivation. The second one is the amount of work they have. Youth and adults all over the world are affected by this one today. This cause is the amount of work the individual has to do. If they do not complete it, they will fall behind in school, let someone down, or possibly lose their job. Whether this is something that is forced, or brought upon his or herself, it can have the same effects. The two main causes are, first, whether or not the person is an night owl, and secondly, how much work they have.
Lack of sleep has many negative effects, one of which is mood. If an adult or child is not getting enough sleep, the person’s mood will change drastically. Sensitivity is another effect under mood. Little things will start to get on the nerves. The effect can be terrible. It can even change your mindset so much you can go insane, get depressed, or just plain not want to do anything. All these things will lead to not being a hard working adult. A sensitive or negative mood is one of the effects of not getting enough sleep.

Another effect of lack of sleep is performance. Countless studies have been done on students who do well in tests. In these studies, it is noted how much sleep the student gets. It was found that students who get more sleep generally do better on tests than those who do not. Those who are tired do not feel like doing anything. It is hard for them to make good decisions, think through things, and stay alert, which can lead to to problems in the future. It has even caused adults to lose their jobs, or students to fail classes.Sadly, it doesn't look like there are any positive or helpful effects of lack of sleep in performance. It is scientifically proven that not enough sleep hurts the individual’s performance. When people don’t get enough sleep, one negative effect is performance.

Another negative effect is that it can harm your health. If you are not getting enough sleep, your body will eventually show it. Lack of sleep can cause health problems, such as high blood pressure, heart problems, or slowly suppressing the natural immune system inside of you. Your body weight can also take a turn for the worse. You will be so tired you will not want to exercise. Exercise is very important to stay healthy. Not getting enough sleep can affect your health in many ways.

A third negative effect of not having enough sleep, not only showing in your health, mood, and performance, but also in day to day relationships. Without sleep, relationships suffer. Even small children can be grumpy and sensitive in the early morning after a restless night, driving even their young friends and sibling away. This usually does not change as the person grows and matures. A bad night’s sleep will still hurt their friendships and interactions with others. These are interactions that everyone has to make to survive. People do not want to be around someone who is often tired, irritable, or depressed. The brain does not function well when you do not get enough sleep. It affects your day to day relationships drastically.


This night, Joe enjoys an nice family dinner, and doesn't even turn on the Tv at all. Instead he plays an quick game of cards with his son, and is in bed by nine thirty. The next morning, Joe wakes up happy and refreshed. He sets off to work with an spring in his step, and works hard and diligently all day. His boss realizes how hard he works, and decides to give him an raise. Even after just one day, Joe can see how much of an difference sleep makes on an person’s mood, health, relationships, and even an person’s performance. Sleep is something we can’t live without. It is so important that we will go crazy and die if we don’t get enough, just like water or air. It is how God made us, and if you give it what it needs, your body and mind will reward you.