American Thoracic Society
PATIENT EDUCATION | INFORMATION SERIES
www.thoracic.org
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How common is sleep deprivation?
Sleep deprivation is very common. 35% of adults in the
US report sleeping less than 7 hours during a typical
24-hour day. 73% of US high school students report
getting less than 8 hours of sleep on school nights, while
58% of US middle school students report getting less
than 9 hours of sleep. The National Sleep Foundation
recommends the following sleep duration for dierent
age groups:
Age Recommended duration of sleep
Newborns (including naps) 14 to 17 hours
Infants (including naps) 12 to 15 hours
Toddlers (including naps) 11 to 14 hours
Preschoolers
(including naps)
10 to 13 hours
School-aged Children 9 to 11 hours
Teenagers 8 to 10 hours
Adults 7 to 9 hours
Older Adults 7 to 8 hours
What causes sleep deprivation?
Not getting enough sleep is the most common cause of
sleep deprivation. Other causes include:
poor sleeping habits
circadian rhythm disturbance (e.g. delayed sleep phase
syndrome, jet lag when traveling across multiple time
zones, late shift work)
sleep disorders like insomnia, restless leg syndrome
and sleep apnea
use of medications or drugs
In children and teens, causes of sleep deprivation can also
include:
the onset of puberty
large adenoids and tonsils, which can cause breathing
problems during sleep
physiologic shift in sleep onset to later times of the
night
disorders such as Attention Decit Hyperactivity
Disorder (ADHD) or autism spectrum disorder.
What are the common signs and symptoms of
sleep deprivation?
feeling sleepy during the day, especially while
performing quiet activities, like watching TV, or reading
changes in mood (irritability, depressed mood)
forgetfulness and diculty learning new concepts
inability to concentrate or focus on a task
weight gain
What happens to my body and my daily functioning
with sleep deprivation?
The common negative eects of sleep deprivation
include feeling too sleepy during the day, accidents from
lack of attention, mood changes, and change in appetite.
Reducing your sleep time by even 1 hour can aect your
thought process and reaction time the following day.
Lack of sleep can lead to chronic fatigue, which can aect
work or school performance.
What Is Sleep Deprivation?
Am J Respir Crit Care Med Vol. 199, P11-P12, 2019
ATS Patient Education Series © 2019 American Thoracic Society
Sleep deprivation occurs when a person is not able to
get enough sleep. The amount of sleep needed to feel
refreshed and function well depends on the individual
and varies across the ages. Getting enough sleep
every night is important. Some experts also believe
that sleep gives our body a chance to repair itself, so
the lack of sleep can have harmful health eects.
American Thoracic Society
PATIENT EDUCATION | INFORMATION SERI ES
www.thoracic.org
Sleep deprivation has also been associated with several
medical conditions including diabetes, heart disease,
stroke, high blood pressure, kidney disease, and mood
disorders.
Diabetes: It is known that people who sleep less at night
are less able to process glucose (sugar) compared to
those who get enough sleep and have increased chance
of developing type 2 diabetes.
Heart Disease and Stroke: Sleep deprivation leads to
increased blood pressure, inammation, and other bodily
stress reactions. Adults who sleep less than 6 hours a
night have a 48% greater chance of developing heart
disease and a 15% greater chance of stroke.
Thinking: A sleep-deprived person’s brain needs to use a
lot more eort to complete a specic task than the non-
sleep deprived brain. Work accidents and car crashes can
be the result of poor attention due to sleep deprivation.
Mood: Mood changes are common in people who are
sleep deprived. People who do not get enough sleep may
have depressed mood, low energy and irritability.
Growth: Sleep deprivation causes a decrease in growth
hormones, which can have harmful eects, particularly
in children, such as decreased height growth and poor
weight gain.
Weight changes: Hormones that control appetite
and glucose breakdown can be changed due to sleep
deprivation. Getting too little or too much sleep has been
associated with abnormal weight gain.
Pain: Getting a good night sleep can reduce pain scores
(how one rates one’s own pain), and reduce the need for
pain medicines.
How is sleep deprivation diagnosed?
If you think you have sleep deprivation, it is important to
talk to your healthcare provider. Keep a sleep diary for a
couple of weeks. Make notes on when you get into and
out of bed each day, when you sleep (including naps),
and how much caeine, alcohol, or nicotine you take
in throughout the day. This allows you to look into your
sleep pattern and see what aects or limits your sleep.
Also, make a note of any over-the-counter medications,
herbals, or supplements. If you are unsure of your
sleep pattern, a trained sleep medical professional can
help you evaluate your sleeping habits. They may use
a medical device called an actigraph. This device can
be worn around your wrist and will measure your body
movements and exposure to light.
How is sleep deprivation treated?
The mainstay treatment of sleep deprivation is to
increase total sleep time. What you can do to improve
your sleep time depends on what is interfering with your
sleep. You need to make sleep a priority. Work to adjust
your daily life schedule to allow for more sleep. Talk with
your healthcare provider or sleep specialist if you can’t
sleep or do not sleep well. You should also be evaluated
for sleep disorders and poor sleep habits that can
decrease total sleep time.
Authors: Anuja Bandyopadhyay, MD; Ninotchka Liban
Sigua, MD
Reviewers: Helena Schotland, MD; Iris A. Perez, MD,
Marianna Sockrider MD, DrPH, Vidya Krishnan, MD
This information is a public service of the American Thoracic Society.
The content is for educational purposes only. It should not be used as a
substitute for the medical advice of one’s health care provider.
Resources
American Thoracic Society
www.thoracic.org/patients
• Circadian rhythm
• Healthy sleep
in adults
• Healthy sleep in teens
• Healthy sleep in children
• Insomnia
• Sleep and performance
• Obstructive sleep ap
nea
National Sleep Foundation
https://sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/how-much-
sleep-do-we-really-need
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
http://www.cdc.gov/sleep/
Sleep education—American Academy of Sleep Medicine
www.sleepeducation.com/
R Action Steps
Make sleep a priority every day. Get 7-9 hours of sleep each
day or enough sleep so that you wake up feeling refreshed.
Follow good sleep habits.
Talk to your healthcare provider if you think you have a
sleep problem and are not getting enough sleep.
Never drive or operate heavy machinery if you are sleepy.
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