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Effects of sleep on the brain essay
General problem of effect of sleep deprivation cognitive performance
The comparative investigation of sleep has led to an important conclusion: It has suggested that
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Many college students are affected by sleep deprivation. Our youth have yet come to realize how much sleep plays a valuable role in one’s day. Some causes of sleep deprivation ranges from stress to poor time management. Scientifically speaking, “sleep deprivation exists when sleep is insufficient to support adequate alertness, performance, and health, either because of reduced total sleep time or fragmentation of sleep by brief arousals.” (Pressman) Most college students are unaware that lack of sleep cause many of their illnesses. College students that are sleep deprived usually suffer from a range of psychiatric symptoms. I surveyed 8 people at Alabama State University and out of those 8, 6 of the participants were sleep deprived. Sleep deprivation can be extremely harmful to college students and has loads of negative effects.
It is said that on average a college student should get at least 8 hours of sleep. In today’s society an average college student gets only about 6 hours of sleep at night. This is mainly because students are up late studying, there is too much noise in the dorm halls, something is troubling one’s mind, etc. “Stress about school and life keeps 68 percent of college students awake at night- 20 percent of them at least once a week.”(Lund) Majority of college students have an irregular sleep pattern during the week. Because of this many of the students try to make up missed time sleeping longer hours during the weekend. By doing this, the students’ mess up their “internal body clock”. “This erratic pattern can take a toll on students’ well-being, especially when coffee and high caffeine energy drinks are added to the mix.” (Witman, 2012) The fact that their body clocks must get used to a different routine may ...
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...rns: Biological, social, and psychological influences. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from http://www.questiaschool.com/library/105050722/adolescent-sleep-patterns-biological-social-and
College students: Getting enough sleep is vital to academic success. (2007, November 30). Retrieved from http://www.aasmnet.org/articles.aspx?id=659
Lund, H. G. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/160265.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/160265.php Pressman, M. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.uptodate.com/contents/definition-and-consequences-of-sleep-deprivation
McCann, K. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.aasmnet.org/articles.aspx?id=883
Witman, S. (2012, November 27). Asleep at the wheel: Sleep deprived students face consequences. Retrieved from http://badgerherald.com/artsetc/2012/11/27/asleep-at-the-wheel/
Austin states that most students manage to “get less sleep during weekdays and more sleep on weekends to pay back the sleep debt” (36). But this sleep pattern is not what the body is used to during the week and actually affects the student more than he or she thinks. The pattern of sleep the student chooses to have on the weekends makes it difficult to rise each morning for early classes, and it increases his or her sleepiness throughout the week (Austin 36). While each student thinks sleeping more on the weekends benefits them, it actually hurts them because it makes their sleep patterns irregular. When this happens it makes the week harder to deal with because everything is out of
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
During the winter quarter of 2014, biology 155 students examined for one week circadian body rhythms during “normal” activity and rest periods. The students had to go to sleep between 10 and 12 o’clock, wake up around 6 and 8 in the morning and had to do usual activities for it to be considered a “normal” day in a week’s period. During a 24 hour period students had to interrupt their “normal” sleep period in order to collect some data. Every 2 hours, 12 times in total, three function tests were conducted in the same order and had to be written do...
Experts centralized in sleep have found that scantly sleep leads to a decrease in vigilance as well as awareness. Students suffering from sleep deprivation have a shortened attention span making it more difficult to grasp concepts. According to Philip R. Gehrman, this also effected subjects’ ability to perform simple cognitive tasks, pursuant to logical reasoning and complex thought. There is a strong argument being made that these “early” school hours are in place to prepare teens for their future as hard working businessmen and businesswomen. The opposition coheres to the thought that building a tolerance for sleepless nights is the way to go. “Get Used To It! More than likely a student will end up with a job that is from 8-5, why complain when you can just go to bed a little bit earlier and get up at a normal time.” This was exclaimed by a critic upon being inquired on whether or not schools should start later. As adequate as this logic sounds, it is highly flawed; there is no tolerance built up against sleep insufficiency. The only consummations are a shift in biological clock (due solely to adulthood), and gratified mediocrity.
If all of these important activities occur during sleep, why is it that people are so willing to short themselves of this vital activity? Although much about sleep still remains a mystery, research and experiments continue to show how important sleep is to each and every person. Throughout this paper, I will discuss sleep and the effects that it has on performance and health, especially among college students. A college student’s sleeping pattern is a reliable indicator of their level of performance in the classroom and other school-affiliated activities, as a lack of sleep leads to decreased performance. Sleep is directly related to the level of performance and health of an individual; the more rested a person is, the better that person will perform and feel (Dryer, 2006).
When I was a community college student, 24 hours a day is not enough time for me because I was too busy. I took more than 12 units per semester, and I had two jobs. I always came back home at midnight, and I started my home works, and studying. I could sleep 4 hours a day. At that time, After transfer to Cal Poly Pomona, I could quit my works because I could get loan. I thought I could have more time, and sleep more if I stop works. I got up at late morning, went to bed before midnight, and I had more time to study ,but I still did not have enough time, and I tired a lot. Sleeping amount, going to bed early, and getting up early are very important for health, but I think every people have different sleeping patterns.
While points, claims, and statistics may be found within all of the sources used for the research, the sheer amount of referenced studies and works within the “Sleep-Wake” paper lends weight to it’s usefulness as a reliable source. One of the otherfactor of sleep and its affect within the college community. Three sources varying in criteria and usefulness were found that related to this subject and were studied. sources, “College Students try to Cheat Sleep Needs”, a college newspaper, offers basic facts and elementary assumptions such that could be found within any biology textbook or encyclopedia. These references are to such things as sleep cycles and sub stages and the general consequences of an out of balance sleep cycle. The study from the Biological Rhythm Research writers, however, hints at previous studies and findings that “several factors, such as social and academic demands, part-time jobs, [...] affect the sleep-wake cycle of college students.” but then only states the findings of a particular study, and does so in...
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
Why college students don’t get enough sleep. 2. Tips to
The Struggles of Sleep Deprived High School Students On a typical day, there will always be at least one student, or more, with their head down on their desk. Sleeping in class is a pet peeve for some teachers. Some consider it as disrespectful, or simply wasting the teacher’s time. As students get older, they start to get more involved with after-school activities, as well as trying to maintain a nice grade point average since they know it’s crucial for college. The course work gets harder each year, which means that students would have to spend more time doing their homework or studying.
The life of a typical college student can be a demanding one with many responsibilities and requirements to complete on a regular basis. Sleep is an important factor in a college student’s life and has been investigated by Murray (Influence of Sleep on Neurologic Function, 1991) and Sloan (Importance of Rest in Restorative Cellular Processes, 2003).
Sleep has always been a popular subject among humans. There have been many studies that examine sleep and its correlation with a wide variety of variables, such as depression, energy levels, and grades. Students, as a group, are widely studied. As the world’s future leaders and thinkers, there is great importance placed on their achievements. In this study the effect of student sleep habits on perceived academic performance is investigated. Many things may affect students’ academic success among these variables are sleep habits.
The transition from life in high school can be problematic for the majority of students. Most of their days in high school were on a very structured schedule, but moving on to college where you are relying completely on your responsibility to prioritize can be extremely difficult for freshmen. Most college students, at one time or another, find it difficult to juggle their schoolwork, social life, extracurricular activities, and other responsibilities. They become overwhelmed with the load of work brought onto them and it becomes clear that “sleep is not a priority to many people” (Bosworth) students just believe that they can merely go through the week getting less and less sleep and just catch up on their z’s during the weekend. Another good reason why students do not get enough sleep is because they simply do not make time for it. Some studying, athletics, jobs, relationships may take up most of a student’s time and cause them to have stressful sleep (Johnson). Yet, the reasons for student to be sleep deprived widely differ. Approximately 25% of students report studying as the caus...
Preliminary Thesis Statement: Sleep deprivation has detrimental effects on the health and academic performance of students.
Sleep has a very important role in a person’s physical health and wellbeing, yet in the U.S., only 56% of Americans get recommended amount of sleep. The average sleep requirement for students in college is around 8 hours. If students don’t reach that amount, they have created a sleep debt. A sleep debt is when all lost sleep accumulates to create a larger sleep indebtedness. The sleep debt does not disappear or decline; you can only reduce your debt by obtaining extra sleep above the daily requirement.