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The psychological effects of technology
Importance of sleep
Importance of sleep
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The entire world can probably agree on one statement: there is not enough time in a day. Everyone, myself in particular, can relate to this. Should I get a full 8 hours of sleep or finish my laundry or homework? I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve faced this dilemma. It seems it’s never possible to accomplish everything we set out to in a day and also sleep well and uninterrupted. Since I graduated high school I have spent quite a bit of time working, averaging around 70 hours a week with two jobs the majority of the time. This has been my personal choice, but it has definitely costed me some hours of shut-eye. Now that I am throwing school into this already tiring schedule, my sleep has suffered even more. In the past, I have tried everything …show more content…
These days most people constantly have their phones on them or near them. Most people use their cell phone as an alarm, so no doubt they go to bed with it, and wake up with it right next to them. This article makes a few points on how electronics keep you up at night. The first point being that the light from electronics suppresses melanin, which controls the sleep-wake cycle in an individual. This is why your body doesn’t want to fall asleep after staring at a lit screen for a certain amount of time. Secondly, gadgets keep your brain on alert and taking in new information which keeps your mind racing when it should be resting. Lastly, cell phones are used for all communication for most people, which means they are getting alerts form texts, calls, alarms, etc. all throughout the night which is disrupting quality of sleep. Whereas the previous article stated exercise helps to exhaust you brain and body to induce sleep, this article states how some things, like cell phone usage can make sleep more difficult. However, this article is similar to the first article and the caffeine intake making sleep quality worsen and making it more difficult to fall asleep
Studies have shown that instagram and snapchat have become two of the most popular apps today used by young people. When more energy is spent on social media right before sleeping it takes longer to fall asleep because your body and brain is still concentrating on what you were doing in the hour prior. Technology use is prominent right before heading to bed because there is more time to relax and stare at your cell phone. During the day the chances of using cellphones are slimmer due to the fact that the subject may be at work or school. Sleep deprivation can either be voluntary or involuntary. There is also partial sleep loss where an individual can be sleeping, but not getting the full rest that they need. Partial sleep deprivation could be caused by medical conditions, lifestyle, jet lag, shift work, overtime, and sleep disorders. Sleep problems are widespread and can lead to motor vehicle crashes or mistakes in the workplace. Sleep loss leads to a weaker immune system, unintentional sleeping, and lack of memory/learning capabilities, weight loss and negative cardiovascular
It is true that sleep deprivation is a widespread issue, generally resulting from early start times. It is also a serious one; according to a study by Harvard Medical School, sleep deprivation can lead to issues such as obesity, heart disease, difficulty learning, and can genuinely shorten a person’s lifespan. As Robbins explains, teenagers have a different internal sleep clock than other age groups. It is most healthy for students in high school to go to bed around 11 and wake up around 9. Since school often begins as early as 7, students are told they simply need to go to bed early, around 8 or 9 PM. This contention does not take into account the fact that humans are biologically not wired this way, and it's virtually impossible for most teens to fall asleep this early. It also doesn't take into account that with clubs, sports, church, volunteering, other extracurriculars and hours of homework, students often struggle to start their homework before their suggested “bedtime”. It is contended that students can control their own schedules so that they can get more sleep. However, pressure from parents and peers to get into a “good” college can cloud students’ perceptions of what is right for them, making them choose to overwork themselves in order to build impressive resumes. I myself can identify with this phenomenon. During the weekdays alone, I volunteer two nights a
Sleep! That wonderful, blissful void between last night and this morning. Sleep is one of the most basic functions of life. Nearly all creatures must sleep in order to properly carry out tasks; teenagers are no exception. The typical teenager needs an average of nine to ten hours of sleep a night in order for their brains to be capable of working at full capacity. School starts so early that they infringe upon that basic necessity. In order for teens to receive an adequate amount of sleep, it is mandatory to enact later start times for high schools across the country.
How many times has this happened to you; it’s six thirty on a Tuesday morning, your alarm has already gone off twice, your still laying in bed and your bus comes in twenty minutes. This is an everyday occurrence at my house. It is a proven statistic that the average high school student does not get enough sleep. While some experts like Dr. Lee Yanku say “It is not the schools starting time that is the problem as to why students don’t get enough sleep, it is because of facebook, myspace and cell phones” The truth behind it is that we can’t budget sports, homework and extracurricular activities into one day and still get nine hours of sleep. This is hurting student’s academic averages and needs to change. Changing the school time will help boost academic averages among students, and isn’t th...
When the mind’s need of rest is not met, it accumulates “sleep debt” that cannot be fixed by a single sleep period. “The brain keeps an accurate count of sleep debt for at least two weeks” (Myers, DeWall 107). Many college students experience sleep deprivation which results in fatigue during the day. Whether or not it’s because of roommates, or your own habits, sleep deprivation is a problem. Although sleep is often overlooked and not considered a significant event--since it should normally occur every day--it is a necessity for all humans as well as animals. “It is said that young animals can go longer without food than sleep” (Johnson 88). This statement shows just how important of a role sleep is in life. “Approximately 70% of college students report disturbances in sleep including poor sleep quality, insufficient sleep, and irregular sleep patterns” (DeMartini, Fucito 1164). Most of the time college students experience difficulties with sleep because of their varying schedules. On the weekdays, students will sleep between classes, and stay up late trying to get work done. On the weekends, they stay up late and wake later in the day. “According to the National Sleep Foundation, 59% of adults 18 to 29 years of age describe themselves as night-owls” (Gaultney 91). Our bodies are synchronized with the 24-hour cycle due to the circadian rhythm (Myers, DeWall 100). If students cannot fall asleep early because their “biological clock” is messed up due to stress or other reasons, they cannot get enough sleep by the time the morning comes. Research has shown that typically people who get up earlier perform better in school, have more initiative and are less likely to be depressed (Myers, DeWall 101). Other factors of sleep deprivation could fall into the social category. College students tend to like to enjoy life, and party. This is something a college student can
The first effect is the fact that it can greatly affect peoples sleep patterns in a bad way (American Academy of Sleep). For instance, Studies show that only 50 minutes of cell phone use increases brain cell activity. This means that it wears your brain out, making you more tired. Also phones that were turned off did not create the same brain cell activity as it did when it was on. Another example, would be the fact that it has not yet been fully proven that the cell phone has any danger to your health at all(Dellorto, Danielle). Also, The radiation from the cell phones affects younger people more because their skulls are thinner making it easier for the radiation to penetrate deeper into the skull. This is makes teenasgers more at risk than adults. Also, in order for the brain to be impacted the cell phone needs to be close to your head. Also, The radiation from the from the cell phones has been proven to cause sleep insomnia. Its different for everyone for how the cell phone can affect you. Some people don’t get enough sleep because of phones and some aren’t able to sleep because of them, and some are not affected at all.
“The current explosion of digital technology not only is changing the way we live and communicate, but is rapidly and profoundly altering our brains (Carr). When someone stays up all night staring at their cell phone, it is changing their sleep schedule. Blue enriched light that is emitted from mobile devices can suppress the body’s release of melatonin at night (Hiscott). Melatonin is the key hormone that controls someone 's internal clock, and when not enough is released, a body is oblivious to when it is supposed to be asleep. Sleep is crucial for successful development in a young child’s
Though there are many facets to the subject of sleep, our team has decided to focus on the vital role sleep plays in people’s lives, specifically college students, as well as the numerous methods that can be used to make sleep more effective. Research has consistently proven the importance of a regular sleep schedule. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute promotes this idea, and offers several tips for getting enough sleep while leading a busy life.[1] For instance, it helps to keep the same sleep schedule on weeknights and weekdays. Also, avoiding heavy exercise and artificial bright lights within an hour of going to sleep ensures a more restful sleep. This is especially true for devices like computers and cellphones, the light of which interrupts melatonin production, thus disrupting sleep. Avoiding heavy meals, alcoholic beverages, nicotine, and caffeine within a couple hours of sleeping helps prime the body for a more restful sleep, as well. In fact, the effects of caffeine can last
I feel like one of the things I do well is multi-task. At my job, it allows me to multi-task with students and making sure things are getting done effectively and efficiently. For example, when we are busy at the beginning of the quarter, I am printing out schedules while I am getting books for students so I can make the student happy and to make sure we are not being bombarded. I believe that when a person multitasks they are getting two tasks completed for the price of one. However, one of the things I need to work on is scheduling time for sleep. I think that I neglect to get and adequate amount of sleep. For example, if I know an assignment or task has to be completed, I will stay up till three o clock or four and have to be to work at
Many times people think they can accomplish more if they could eliminate so much sleeping time. However, they are only hurting their productivity if they lose sleep. Two articles deal with the issue of sleep deprivation. The College Student Journal published an article about the grade-point average of college students and sleep length, while U.S. News & World Report produced an article dealing with the lack of
When children make the transition from primary school to middle school or high school, it affects them a lot when the changing of their own sleep cycle affects the way they actually learn. Dr. Judith Owens, who is the director of the Sleep Medicine Clinic at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., says "adolescents are programmed to fall asleep later,” (2013). She wants to change school start times to later because "we are asking [teens] to be awake and alert at the time in their 24-hour clock when their alertness level is at its very lowest,” (2013). She also says that most teens can’t usually fall asleep until 11 p.m. Sleep expert Amy Wolfson of College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., says that children should try to get eight and a half to nine and a half hours of sleep a night. Waking up at six a.m. leads to bad sleep patterns creating sleep deprivation.
Sleep is a necessity to our body but due to social media we are not getting nearly as much as we should be getting. It has become so bad that we simply cannot go a moment without updating our status or checking other people’s status and because of this we tend to stay up late hours and keep our devices on through the night. We have way too many distractions and our mind is simply not relaxing enough for our bodies to be nice and energized in the morning. We have developed an overpowering need to be “in with the gossip” which has made us sacrifice a necessity. The “rings” and “dings” of a new message have been engraved in our minds in the place of sleep. Social Media has brought an end a good night sleep as we know it. Who knows when the next time you get a good sleep will be.
Raise your hand if you’re one of 44% of Americans that sleep next to their phones at every night. It’s true, so many of us are dependent on our mobile devices, that psychologists are now calling it the “Invisible Addiction”! Since its invention critics have debated every inch of the cell phone. From its usefulness and size, to its effects on health after prolonged usage. The conversation has since shifted. The cell phone market today is flooded with a plethora devices to choose from, sporting top of the line materials and industry leading software, but this just scratches the surface. With over 968 million worldwide smartphone sales in 2013, consumers are feeding into the latest technology that the market has to offer. Though they may become
Now when people go to bed they stay awake to look at their social media applications on their phones while lying in bed. This can cause sleep deprivation because you are up later reading about other people’s day. The light from the phone also causes your brain to not shut off for the night as easily. It has been suggested that exposure to bright lights at the wrong time of the day can alter circadian rhythm sleep with insomnia and excessive sleepiness (Wolniczak, Cacerer-DelAguila, Palma-Ardiles, Arroyo, Solis-Visscher, Peredes-Yairi, Mego-Antonio, Pernabe-Ortiz 3). Many hours of sleep per week are lost due to social media, which in turn also decreases productivity at
Studies show that two-hours exposure to light from electronic displays can suppress melatonin by about 22 percent,” said Mariana Figueiro. “Stimulating the human circadian system to this level may affect sleep in those using the devices prior to bedtime,” said Figueiro. So using cell phones before bed could make you get less sleep than you need(Prigg).