Understanding the Connection Between Sleep & Behavior
The relation between sleep and behavior is undeniable. Adequate sleep is very important for behavioral development. There have been a number of researches which have shown that those who did not get enough sleep often suffered from a number of behavioral disorders.
Given below is the amount of sleep required per day at different age levels:-
For infants – 14 to 18 hours
For toddlers – 13 hours
For preschoolers - 12 hours
For school aged ones - 10 hours
For adolescents – 9.25 hours
For adults – 8.25 hours
If a person doesn’t get the above mentioned level of sleep, they may suffer from a number of immediate problems. Some of the symptoms of sleep depravedness are given below:-
- Losing temper over trivial matters
- Trouble in staying focused
- Poor level of concentration
- Constant irritability or mood swings
- Grogginess in the morning
- Increased risk of depression or ADHD
- Wild and hyperactive behavior etc.
Daytime behavioral disorders rising out of inadequate sleep:-
It has been found that individuals who do not get enough sleep often exhibit an aggressive behavior. They tend to lose temper very easily and are prone to consistent bouts of irritability. Low frustration tolerance also comes under this group of behavioral problems.
Over anxiety is also a problem associated with lack of sleep. Such individuals tend to worry too much and are always nervous and high strung. They may even suffer from depression. These individuals tend to lean towards internalizing. It can also be said that individuals who are like this often experience inadequate sleep. So the scale can swing both ways.
Sleep loss leads low mental performance. Low attention span, inability to concentrate or remember facts, clumsy actions these all are the aftermath of sleep deprivation. Inadequate sleep disturbs the body cycle hence the individual may even end up sleeping more in the daytime.
From the long term point of view, chronic sleep deprivation can have a host of serious problems. It tends to make age related ailments like hypertension or memory loss even more severe.
How behaviors affect sleep:
From another point of view, there also exists a relation between behavior and the kind of sleep an individual gets. This is related to the temperament of the particular individual.
In case of a highly active individual, they may have difficulty in getting a good restful sleep as the span of sleepiness in them is too less. Some even tend to show movements in sleep.
Highly intense individuals are likely to go through tremendous fluctuations in the levels of emotional intensity and may take too long to unwind.
Individuals who are used to a regular routine may have difficulty in sleeping if there is any unforeseen change in routine.
Individuals who are slow to adapt do not react well to new situations. Hence, they may suffer from sleep deprivation if they are subjected to new surroundings.
Individuals who are highly sensitive get easily affected by little things like temperature change or noise levels and thereby find it difficult to drift off to sleep easily.
Hence, the relation between sleep and behavior is an intricate one. One needs to have a good understanding of both for overall development of both the mind and body.
