An overview on sleep

Sleep is essential for brain function and systemic physiology in a variety of bodily systems. Sleep difficulties are common, and can involve deficiencies in both amount and quality of sleep; sleep disorders that interrupt sleep continuity are referred to as sleep disruptions. Sleep disruption is caused by a variety of reasons, including lifestyle and environmental factors, as well as sleep disorders and other medical problems. Sleep disturbances have serious short- and long-term health implications. To offer a nonsystematic overview of these health effects, a literature search was performed (this review was designed to be nonsystematic to better focus on the topics of interest due to the myriad parameters affected by sleep). Sleep disturbance is linked to increased sympathetic nervous system activity and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, as well as metabolic consequences, circadian rhythm abnormalities, and proinflammatory responses. Short-term effects of sleep disturbance in otherwise healthy people include increased stress reactivity, physical discomfort, decreased quality of life, emotional distress and mood disorders, as well as cognitive, memory, and performance impairments. Sleep disturbance has an effect on teenagers' psychological health, academic performance, and risk-taking behaviors.