The role of sleep deprivation in physiological system dysfunctions

Night shifts, long working hours of healthcare professionals, irregular lifestyles, due to increasing economic difficulties and decreasing purchasing power, people have to accept difficult working conditions, resulting in inadequate and/or poor quality sleep problems. Sleep is a physiological need and the emergence of sleep problems not only negatively affects the performance and quality of life of the person during the day, but also causes various changes in the physiological systems and functions of these systems. Sleep problems are often ignored by people in spite of the fact that it is generally a health problem that can be treated by doctors. In this review, as a result of the current literature review, the nervous, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal systems are the most affected systems by sleep deprivation, and the effects of sleep deprivation on these systems and the mechanisms underlying these effects are summarized. It is an undeniable fact that sleep is a physiological need, and that insufficient and/or poor quality sleep will adversely affect physiological functions. However, the existence of conflicting studies and the fact that the physiological and pathological mechanisms in this process have not been elucidated indicate that long-term and more comprehensive studies are needed.