Sleep Deprivation Across America

Sleep deprivation in teens and young adults has become an epidemic across America. A national poll showed that eighty-seven percent of high school students in America get far less sleep than the recommended eight to ten hours (Richter). Sleep deprivation may be caused by several factors, such as environmental disruptions, emotional distress and physical conditions. Environmental disruption is one of the many factors in sleep deprivation among teens and young adults. The light coming from cell phones and computers before bed are examples of environmental disruption in sleep. "Light influences our internal clock through specialized "light sensitive" cells in the retina of our eyes. These cells, which occupy the same space as the rods and cones

As stated in “External Factors”, the light from phones and computers has a major influence on one's internal clock. The influence light has on a person’s internal clock interferes with one’s sleeping habits which can cause sleep patterns to be in disarray. Due to sleep patterns being obstructed, sleep deprivation can become a real issue. Television is another example of light influencing a person’s sleeping habits. As previously stated in “External Factors”, light from electronic devices such as cellphones, computers, and television can have unpredictable effects on one’s sleep patterns which could cause a person’s internal clock to reset, making it difficult to fall asleep. For example, if a student’s internal clock has been reset and the student’s sleeping pattern has been disrupted, the student may not fall asleep until a late hour which leaves the student sleep deprived when the student must be up at an early time.

Emotionally, there are a variety of factors that can lead to sleep deprivation such as anxiety due to school work and important tests; school demands such as early start times, tedious workloads, and high expectations set by society. Depression, anxiety, and stress can be experienced by individuals of all ages, and often individuals who experience this often find it more difficult to fall asleep. This is likely because our bodies are naturally programmed to respond to stressful and potentially dangerous situations by waking up.(External Factors). Anxiety is one of the many factors that lead to sleep deprivation in teens and young adults. Anxiety can be caused by many things, many examples would include school work and big tests, which can cause a person to be in extreme distress as well as have difficulty sleeping. In addition to anxiety, school demands, early start times, important due dates, and high expectations are also large factors in causing sleep deprivation in teens and young adults. According to Ruthann Richter of Stanford Medicine, a 2010 study at a high school in Rhode Island showed that its students slept more and showed far more improvement and alertness by delaying its start time by only 30 minutes. Schools who start later in the day have more success with how the