Speech on Sleep

According to the research of Dr. James B. Maas, 40% of Americans (100 million people) are moderately to severely sleep-deprived! High school and college students are among the most sleep deprived people in our population. 60% are sleepy during the day and 30% fall asleep in class at least once a week. The average person needs at least seven to nine hours of sleep every night but Many people do not get the sleep they need because their schedules don’t allow adequate time for it and they do not know the negative effects lack of sleep can have on their health and functioning. Today I’m going to inform you on the effects lack of sleep has on our body such as depression, premature skin aging, and Obesity.

Shown in a 1997 study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, people who slept less than five hours a night for seven nights felt stressed, sad, and mentally exhausted. Over time, lack of sleep can contribute to the symptoms of depression because Depression results from serotonin imbalance, which regulates mood and sleep.

Next I mentioned premature skin aging. When you don’t get enough sleep, your body releases more of the stress hormone called cortisol. In excess amounts, cortisol can break down skin collagen, the protein that keeps skin smooth and elastic, hence premature wrinkles occur with in the skin.

Last but not least, weight gain. Lack of sleep increases hunger and appetite. According to a 2004 study by Phil Berman and colleagues, people who sleep less than six hours a day were almost 30 percent more likely to become obese than those who slept seven to nine hours. Not only does sleep loss appear to stimulate appetite, but it stimulates cravings for high-fat and high-carbohydrate foods.

To conclude, sleep is a very important key factor to our daily performance. Lack of sleep leads to unwanted conditions like I mentioned depression, premature skin aging, and excessive obesity. Although we all have very busy schedules, there is no way that everyone in this room cant dedicate 7 to 9 hours out of the 24 hours there is in a day to sleep.