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The effect of sleep deprivation on academic performance
The effect of sleep deprivation on academic performance
How sleep deprivation affects academic performance national sleep foundation
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“When the going gets tough, the tough take a nap.” This statement by Tom Hodgkinson perfectly describes the solution to the life of the average American high schooler, who wakes up early, rushes to school, and undergoes several grueling classes, only to later participate in extracurricular activities and return home to complete homework. Due to all these activities, only a vast minority of teenagers obtain the amount of sleep they need in a night; Tom Hodgkinson’s quote proposes a solution to this problem. By instituting naptime in high schools, students could simply nap to refresh themselves when the going gets tough, whether that be an excessive amount of homework, an extremely demanding test, or a sports practice that lasts long into the …show more content…
Since a nap should only be 26 minutes, the length suggested by NASA researchers (Rosekind), nap time could easily incorporate into the school day, either by adding time onto the conclusion of the school day, by taking a few minutes off of classes, or a combination of the two. Students would utilize this 26 minutes to nap, thereby increasing cognitive functioning and avoiding a plethora of medical ailments. In a model suggested by Meizen High School in Japan, teachers “dim the lights and put on classical music” and students put their heads down on their desks and sleep (Murugappan). In addition to this model, schools could also offer students the option of bringing their own sleeping bags or “nap mats” and reporting to the gym during nap time in order that students could lie down while they nap, which would offer a peaceful experience conducive to sleeping. By offering students these options, schools could not only ensure that students would be able to have a napping experience that would allow them to regain cognitive functioning lost by sleep deprivation but also achieve this in such a way that removes remarkably little time from the school day. On the other hand, some argue for a later school start time as the best way to reduce teenage sleep deprivation; in their view, the school day should instead start at 8:30 or 9:00 A.M. and last until 4:30 or 5:00 P.M. in order to allow students to awaken later in the morning. The organization School Start Later cites various statistics regarding sleep deprivation in order to argue for a later school start time, and although this may be true, a
Waking up early at 6:00 A.M in the morning isn’t the funniest thing to do. The times on when school starts should be changed to a later time. Schools should change start times to later there is even factual evidence that this is true. In the article ‘The Teen Who Woke Up Her School’ by Jane Bianchi wrote about a teen named Jilly Dos Santos who put hard work into petitions and powerpoints to show how more sleep can better not only her but other people on school work and sports. People need more sleep to function and get through the day and to be more alert about things around them.Evidence from scientist and from teens show that people work better when they have more energy and got a good night's rest and when students don’t they sometimes start
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...
Taking a nap everyday improves ones energy and motivation for one to finish with best efforts. In an article titled, “To Get More As, students Need more Zs” it stated, “But some schools are also giving students what a growing body of research reveals could make a huge difference in their college careers: earplugs, sleep shades and napping lessons” ( Pope 1). Since quality of work can improve, colleges are now recommending students take naps more regularly, providing them with the devices. However, quality of work increase are not the only things that napping can help, it can help one feel relaxed and
Sleep is a condition of the mind and body in which the nervous system is relatively inactive, the eyes are closed, the muscles are relaxed and consciousness is practically suspended. On average a person needs between seven and nine hours of sleep, which can be hard to achieve with the stresses of life. Sleep can drastically affect how the mind functions. Studies have found that a lack of sleep can decrease motor skills and affect a persons memory. Among memory and motor skills, lack of sleep can negatively affect cognition. Cognition is the process of thinking which is needed for the writing process and other creative elements. If people increase the amount of sleep they receive, then there writing process will be better. Some studies have
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
That means that the first three classes that students are learning in, their brain isn’t fully there. If a student has three of their hardest classes the first three hours of the day, then they really aren’t focused on what they are learning about. A 2015 survey finds that U.S. schools start “too early”. “Five out of every Six United States middle and high schools have starting times before eight thirty [in the morning]. [Starting before this time can reduce student’s efforts], adolescents who do not get enough sleep are more likely to become overweight, not [get] enough physical activity, suffer from depression symptoms, engage in inappropriate activities, and perform poorly in school” (Yeager). Sleep is needed for students to have good health, but they aren’t getting enough. If you walk into any school, you’ll notice that most of the kids that are trying to
Although the Stanford Sleepiness Scale was the most interesting to analyze, the weeklong sleep diary allowed me to see aspects that the “Alertness Test” did not. The two biggest pieces were the effects of the program on my sleep latency and the negative impact alcohol has on sleep. First, it was one of my goals to improve my sleep latency, as during the 4 weeks of the sleep diary, my sleep latency was typically 15 minutes (higher during stressful days ex/basketball games). In order to allow for the sleep latency to decrease during emotional times, I decided to implement a 15-minute routine before I went to bed. Without a doubt, the part of the routine that was the most beneficial was turning my phone to airplane mode. Like many college students,
It is common knowledge to most, that people perform better at school when they are adequately rested. Sleep is a necessary prerequisite for any action that an individual desires
For instance, students grades and test scores can be improved greatly by the etra sleep offered.To be more precise parents belive classes before 8:30a.m threatens acedemic performances greatly. More specifically starting classes later will improve grades in class and boosts standardized test scores. Students with a lower ability receive a better impact from delayed start times In 1998, Amy wolfson and Mary Carskadon surveyed more than 3000 high school and middle school students. They found that the students getting 25 fewer minutes of sleep got C’s,D’s and F’s. The students that went to bed earlier got A’s and B’s.
Adults and teens are often tired, it’s true. Most of the time they turn to coffee or energy drinks, but perhaps the best method to solve this is something children have been doing for years. Naps have lots of great benefits and get rid of one’s fatigue. Some people may think it is a waste of time; however, if it rejuvenates a person, it is worth it. I believe napping during the day is essential for success because they are good for one’s health and mood, they fix sleep deprivation issues, and help one’s brain and performance.
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).
According to the National Sleep Foundation, 33% of high school students fall asleep during school. Most people claim that the students being tired is due to them simply staying up too late, but that is not always the case. The way that the school start times are set up, now it is nearly impossible to get the amount of sleep that students need to function. With the biological sleep clock of students having them fall asleep at 11:00pm and then having to be up at 6:00 in the morning to get ready, the ten-hour goal is unachievable.When students are sleep deprived their focus and attention drift more easily making it significantly harder to pay attention in class. The lack of sleep also impacts students memory, the brain has to work harder to be able to retrieve previously learned information (Sleep, Learning, and Memory). Students who have gotten a good night rest are proven to pay more attention in
Furthermore, there are clear distinctions in the type of naps that are commonly used. Some people may choose to nap to replace lost sleeping time, which is referred to as “replacement napping”, others may want to prepare for an extended period of wakefulness by napping, which is also known as “prophylactic napping”, and a third motivation to nap is described as appetitive napping, when a person naps for pure enjoyment of falling asleep (Milner & Cote, 2008). These three types of naps could apply to the subject of this particular study, which is a college student. College students are subject the enormous amounts of stress and pressure from parents and teacher to get all their work done, perform in the classroom, obtain good grades, etc… and they form a group that could profit largely from napping.
“One sheep, two sheep, three sheep…nothing helps as I toss and turn under my covers. Blanket? No blanket? I’m too hot; I’m too cold. Why can’t I get to sleep? I’ve been staring at the ceiling for the past hour. My mind is awake and yet my body yearns for rest. I need to wake up in 5 hours. Go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep. Ugh, tomorrow’s going to be an awful day.” Everyone needs a night of well-rested sleep each night in order to perform properly and live a healthy lifestyle. However, most teens on average are not getting enough sleep each night due to today’s distractions and school schedule. A recent survey says that 90% of parents think that their teen/child is getting enough sleep each night, while 59% of the teens thought they were not (Lack of Sleep). This growing problem of sleep deprivation in young adults can greatly affect their sleeping habits and later, their health. Sleep deprivation in teens can cause major health concerns, a decline in mental stability, and physical problems, but getting the right amount of sleep every night with the help of certain methods can reap benefits for years to come.
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,...