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Essay on sleep deprivation and mental health
Sleep among teens
Does sleep deprivation negatively affect the academic performance of teenagers
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According to The National Sleep Foundation in “Teens and Sleep,” teenagers need an average of eight to ten hours of sleep every night. How much a person rests at night can determine if the following day they will be able to learn, solve issues, and remember things. Teenagers can also develop acne and become more aggressive. Most teenagers in high school are trying to keep up with school work, get a part-time job, look at colleges, and participate in extracurricular activities, so getting the right amount of sleep is important for them. Teenagers do not get enough sleep, and it is an issue that needs to be addressed. Teens are becoming sleep deprived because they are trying to keep up with school work, but they are facing car accidents, health risks, and caffeine overdoses.
As a teenager goes throughout their high school career, the work becomes more demanding, and requires them to spend more time studying. While the student is trying to balance studying, work, and social activities, the amount of hours they spend sleeping becomes limited. Cari Gillen-O’Neel (et al.) reveals in “To Study or to Sleep? The Academic Costs of Extra Studying at the Expense of Sleep,” that sleep is commonly lost among teenagers so that they have additional study time. Only about nine percent of high school students
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Sleep Deprivation May Be To Blame,” that sleep deprivation can cause depression, anxiety, and mood disorders. Hall mentions Matthew Feldner, a psychology professor, who conducted research on sleep disorders and reactions to stressful situations. Feldner says those who suffer from sleep deprivation also have high levels of emotions, and when this is a chronic problem it can lead to changes in body functions. Feldner also suggests that, “Current thinking suggests that impact of sleep loss on emotion is likely very complex,” so sleep deprivation affects multiple parts of the brain and can cause depression or other
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...
Were you aware that teens tend to have irregular sleeping patterns that can harm their body and the way it functions? When it comes to sleep, teens are inclined to stay up very late during the week and wake up very early in the morning. On the weekends, they seem to gravitate more towards waking up very late to catch up on the sleep that they missed earlier in the week. Now that you know what the causes of having irregular sleeping patterns can do to a teenager’s body, you will be able to see the positive and negative effects of what not having enough sleep can do to one’s self. These facts will be explored through the articles “Should Schools Start Later” by Justin O’Neill and “Why Schools Should Start Later in the Morning” by Emily Richmond.
Teens spend most of their day at school but are unable to fulfill their learning opportunities because of little or no sleep.
According to the National Sleep Foundation, biological sleep patterns change throughout the stages of adolescence. ¨Biological sleep patterns shift toward later times for both sleeping and waking during adolescence-meaning it is natural to not be able to fall asleep before 11:00pm.¨ (¨Teens and Sleep¨). Messing with these sleep cycles in the long run and lead to sleep disorders. Research done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests teenagers 13-18 years old should regularly sleep 8-10 hours each night for a healthy sleep. The teens who do not get a good amount of sleep are more likely to suffer from mental conditions, smoking, illicit drugs, and alcohol use. ¨Not getting enough sleep is common among high school students and is associated with several health risks including being overweight, drinking alcohol, smoking tobacco, and using drugs, as well as poor academic performance.¨ (¨Schools Start Too Early¨). On an NBC news story, Hilton Head Island High School moved its start time and benefits were noticeable. Students had higher test score averages and grades improved throughout the school.A study done in 2008 published in the journal of clinical sleep, found car accident rates fell by 16.5% when students were more aware on the road, not having to wake up before 7 am.
One of the many arising problems of America’s students is they are becoming sleep deprived. The busy daily schedules of children and teens are not allowing them to get enough sleep. “Less sleep is unhealthy especially with the new research that as teenagers move through teenage years, they need increasing amounts of sleep. Nine hours per night is the necessary amount to avoid behaviors associated with sleep deprivation” (Final Report Summary, 2001). Among other things, sleep deprivation is causing students to sleep during class instead of being awake and aware. When the students are sleeping in class, they are not retaining information being taught to them. Researchers have now proven that the majority of adolescents retain more information later in the day. Contrary to this information, America’s school systems are programmed to begin early in the day, which according to the sleep rhythms of most teenagers, they should still be sleeping.
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
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
Although rare and extreme, cases such as these have been documented. Sleep deprivation can also be detrimental when associated with emotional trauma. When deprived of sleep during a time of emotional distress, people are at a greater risk of becoming psychotic and needing electroshock therapy. While many of these effects are rare, they all have been known to exist. Research shows that sleep is a necessity in order for someone to be able to perform at their maximum potential.
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
Sleep is a fundamental need for everyone who needs sleep. Sleep is as important as eating food and drinking fluids. But teenagers are the ones seen not getting enough sleep at night. It is proven that teenagers get the minimum hours of sleep than any other age group. Teenagers are seen getting about five hours or less of sleep each night. Lack of sleep can affect many thing in a negative way. Sleep deprivation can affect things such as abilities to learn, listen, pay attention, and drive. It can also affect someone's mental health and physical health.
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
Teens need about 9 to 10 hours of sleep each night to function best. Most teens do not get enough sleep. One study found that 85% students didn’t get enough sleep on school nights.
Fifty six percent of students report being tired throughout the school day, which can lead to missed information and confusion (Wysong). According to this statistic, over half the students in class are not going to achieve their maximum learning potential in school. In order to avoid this problem, a teenager's brain typically needs to sleep from 11:00 pm to 8:00 am (“High schools starting later to help sleepy teens”). However, most high schools require students to be in class as early as 7:15 or 7:30 am. As a result, many adolescents simply do not have the opportunity to get enough rest. Changing the traditional school time to start later in the day will benefit adolescent sleep cycles, promote learning, and prevent disease by regulating the body. Ideally,...