A “mean girl” in high school once said, “raise your hand if you have ever been personally victimized by sleep deprivation,” or something to that effect. Lack of sleep among teenagers is becoming a serious problem in today’s world. Stanford Medicine News Center states that in a 2006 National Sleep Foundation poll, more than eighty-seven percent of high school students in the United States get less than the required eight to ten hours of sleep per night (Richter). That is a ridiculous amount of students who are willing to put themselves at risk for a number of different negative consequences just to get a few hours in the day back. Why are students so quick to deprive themselves of sleep, and what is going to happen if they continue to do so? …show more content…
I know when I do not get enough sleep I become less focused in class because of drowsiness and outright exhaustion. Like I stated before, when students are sleep deprived they cannot focus, which prevents them from learning the material being taught in class. If they do not learn the material, they cannot do the hours of homework they were assigned, and if they cannot do their homework, they will get a bad grade in the class. If they get a bad grade in one class, they probably have bad grades in all of their classes, and when a student accumulates a multitude of bad grades it means they are most likely going to fail the grade, which will ruin their entire life. To recap, sleep deprivation ruins …show more content…
In his book, Sleep and Affect: Assessment, Theory, and Clinical Implications, Matthew Felder explains how sleep deprivation affects the brain and specifically the part of the brain that controls emotions (qtd. in Hall). In an interview with the Huffington Post he says, “Current thinking suggests the impact of sleep loss on emotion is likely very complex. One leading idea is that losing sleep impairs functioning of the prefrontal cortex region of the brain. This region of the brain is involved in complex behavior and thinking, including regulating emotional experience. Therefore, it is likely that impaired functioning of the prefrontal cortex plays a critical role in elevated emotionally observed among sleep-deprived people, because our nervous system is less able to reduce emotion once it has been triggered (qtd. in Hall). So besides the lack of focus in class, sleep deprivation can be a serious issue and can cause a lot of harm to everyone
People often overlook the importance of sleep, when sleep is actually necessary to survive. “Poor sleep can contribute to weight gain, headaches, high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, an impaired immune system, and attention deficit disorder” (Lai, Wei-Shin). Over the past century Americans are consistently getting less sleep than needed due to multiple different factors. I can personally relate to not getting a good night’s sleep and facing the consequences of sleep deprivation. Overall, sleep is more important than we think when it comes to a healthy lifestyle.
Researchers have found a way to connect sleep with education. Gary Scarpello who wrote "Lack Of Sleep Could Be Trouble For CTE Students” , did a research study with liberty mutual showed that teens had an average of 7.2 hours of sleep on school nights and 33 to 75 % of all students have sleep problems. In the article it had stated that not getting enough sleep can cause impaired hand eyed coordination, reaction time and brief mental lapses. (Scarpello). The same researchers also found out that Sleep helps restores brain functions such as alertness, metabolism, and memory and regulate hormones (Scarpello). Researchers Mary A. Carskardon and A.R. Wolfson studied 3,120 Rhode Island children. They had figured out that college students who slept more than nine hours a night had a gr...
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
The amount of sleep teenagers are lacking is leading to depression, anxiety, and in some cases, suicide in high school and college students. There are many dangers caused by the lack of sleep in young adults. Also, sleep is a major part of growing a healthy body and performing your best at school and/or work. I slack at school when I do not get enough rest because I am drained of energy, have no
Another reason that causes the negative relationship between sleep deprivation and academic performance is the impact of high-stress level that is caused by sleep deprivation. As mentioned earlier, sleep deprivation could decrease a student’s critical thinking and problem-solving skills. However, it can also make the students feel more stressful. According to the survey conducted in Ball State campus, there are 15 students that often do their homework before they go to bed. 10 students play video games, computer games, and mobile games before they go to sleep. 8 students use their electronic devices to do social activities. 5 students watch movies and television series and 2 students read books before they go to bed. This information proves
Voluntary sleep deprivation is a common occurrence for many collge students, who often partially deprive themselves of sleep during the week and compensate by increasing their sleep time over the weekend. This pattern of sleep deprivation and rebound becomes more pronounced around examination periods, sometimes resulting in 24 to 48 hours of sleep deprivation. By depriving themselves of sleep, college students are not only increasing their feelings of sleepiness during the day, thus decreasing their ability to pay attention in class, but are also negatively affecting their ability to perform on exams.
What is sleep? Nursing students do not know the definition of sleep. Coffee is a regular because we do not remember the last time we got a good night sleep. Nurses let me inform you, you are not the only ones; many students including myself are also victims of sleep deprivation. Sleep Health is incredibly significant and many Americans are lacking sleep due to school, work, family and friends responsibilities. According to the Healthy People 2020, the goal is to educate our society by promoting sleep health, which is significant for a healthy prolonged life. It is important to educate college students in the community about the risks they are encountering when being sleep deprived. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also known
Lack of sleep of teens is not caused by choice. Many teens do not choose to stay up late at night because they are out or having fun. The body has circadian rhythms. “These rhythms are generated internally and develop without any social or environmental cues. Adolescents experience a natural circadian phase delay and, therefore, tend to stay up later and sleep in later than in preadolescents” (Final Report Summary, 2001). The opening and closing schedules of schools are not based on these rhythms but are based on the business world and what is best for it. “School schedules should be adapted to the unique needs of different sub-populations of pupils. The administrator must not bear the sole responsibility for planning class schedules” (...
Research shows that sleep is a necessity in order for someone to be able to perform at their maximum potential. College students are no exception to the rule and are often at a greater risk to suffer from conditions that accompany sleep deprivation. Regardless of the time period, a college student must be well rested in order to perform at his or her best in terms of physical performance, memorization capabilities, and test-taking abilities. Also, without adequate sleep, the person will be more susceptible to illnesses, both mental and physical. In conclusion, I believe that sleep deprivation among college students is extremely common and has a direct effect on how well that student will perform or feel.
Carpenter, S. (n.d.). Sleep deprivation may be undermining teen health. http://www.apa.org. Retrieved March 6, 2014, from http://www.apa.org/monitor/oct01/sleepteen.aspx
Dr. Steven Feinsilver, the director of the Center for Sleep Medicine at Icahn School of Medicine in New York City, described the mental effects of sleep deprivation as causing "tremendous emotional problems" and that it has been used for torture (Mann, Jeff). The director of the Unit for Experimental Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania, psychology professor David Dinges, said that people who are not getting enough sleep can receive physical and mental damages. This has been shown in many research results over the past years. Meanwhile, he also has a similar opinion to Dr. Feinsilver: depriving one's sleep on purpose is very inhumane, considering the serious emotional damage of sleep deprivation. Research shows that while being sleep deprived our brain does not function and cognize correctly. It can be hard for people with a lack of sleep to recognize other people's emotions, which might cause many unnecessary problems such as arguments and misunderstandings that could affect people's social relationships. People in a condition of lack of sleep don't show a positive look on their faces, either. They may also make mistakes in recognizing other people’s facial expressions. Other people's neutral face may seem negative to a sleep deprived person while their happy face may seem neutral (“Sleep and Mood”, Mann, Jeff, Miller Sarah G. , “What Are Sleep
Everyone knows that sleep loss can make you feel sullen and confused. But there is a surprising effect of sleep loss that we might not know
Preliminary Thesis Statement: Sleep deprivation has detrimental effects on the health and academic performance of students.
It has been proven that having a lack of sleep can cause mental health problems. In fact, psychologist Matthew Walker of the University of California, Berkeley,
Sleep is a very important factor in the human function. Our body and brain is able to reset itself and rejuvenate while we sleep. When we do not get the required amount of sleep, we start to feel lethargic and foggy minded, because our mind and body wasn’t able to replenish itself. Sleep is imperative that an insignificant rest deficiency or lack of sleep can affect our ability to remember things; decisions and can affect our temperament. Chronic sleep deficiency can get the body to feel agitated and it could lead to serious health problems such as, heart problems, stress, acne, and obesity.