Sleep: Teens and Adolescents More and more people do not know the importance of sleep. Human beings do not know what sleep is and just thinks it is a simple process, but it is more complicated than that. Many people do not get the recommended amount of sleep each night, which is causing more and more people to become sleep deprived of the lack of sleep and starting to have side effects from the lack of sleep. With people sleeping fewer hours from the recommended amount of sleep for each night, one will start building sleep debt. This problem is a huge ordeal for adolescents and teenagers who do not get the recommended amount of sleep for three to four times a week during the school week. Everyday adolescents and teenagers do not get enough …show more content…
Many people do not get enough sleep, which has caused more people to become sleep deprived. When people do not get enough sleep, people start to show the effects of sleep debt. As claimed by William C. Dement and Christopher Vaughan some of these effects are that hand-eye coordination and one’s reaction times become very similar to being drunk (Dement and Vaughan 504). Simple tasks become difficult to accomplish and a much higher chance of “falling asleep on the job” than a person driving while with sleep debt (Epstein 480). These effects are shown visually and physically, but many of the effects an individual cannot see are what is happening on the inside, health-related problems. As stated by Lawrence Epstein, people who only get four to five hours of sleep are severely more likely to become obese because one’s body begins to “experience hormonal changes” that makes an individual eat more sweets and “carbohydrate-rich foods”, such as pasta (Epstein 480). At the same time, middle age people who only sleep for less than five hours a night have a severe higher chance of getting high blood pressure than middle age people who sleep the recommended amount of sleep each day (Epstein 481). As stated by William C. Dement and Christopher Vaughan, many people reach sleep deprivation by sleep debt. What sleep debt really is the number of hours left over from the recommended amount of hours of sleep a person should get each night. What …show more content…
Teens should get the recommended amount of sleep on a school night; in the event they do not get enough sleep, they have a higher risk of being involved in a car accident due to being drowsy behind the wheel, being overweight, getting lower grades and standardized test scores and an overall lower quality of life compared teens who get the recommended amount of sleep. Adolescents’ biological sleep clock starts to change during one’s puberty cycle; they have a tough time going to sleep before 11 pm and being able to go to one’s 7:30 am first-period class. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), middle and high school start times should be 8:30 am or later, instead of 8 am or earlier; changing the times of school to 8:30 am or later, you will be adjusting one’s biological clock rhythms of teenagers to the school start times where an individual’s sleep-wake cycle begins to change up to two hours at the beginning of adolescence. Several studies show that delaying school start times is a major key factor that will help teens get the recommended amount of hours of sleep on a school night they need in order to learn and grow. Another reason for the adolescents’ deficiency of sleep is one’s lifestyle: school work, sports practices, jobs, extracurricular activities, and the use of electronics is keeping them up on weeknights (“Let Them Sleep” 1). Some ways to combat this
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.
Teens spend most of their day at school but are unable to fulfill their learning opportunities because of little or no sleep.
Sleep deprivation (SD) is a common phenomenon encountered by many individuals with different professions. [3] These professions include healthcare, security and drivers working at night. [1] The average length of sleep that an individual needs is between 7 and 8.5h per day. [quoted in 1] However, this varies between individuals with different age and gender. Pilcher and Huffcutt found that both total and partial SD give adverse effects on human functioning. [2] Researchers have concluded that sleep deprivation affects cognitive performance [1,2], motor performance and mood of an individual. [2]
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” (...
...ns behind the process. Reliable sources indicate that sleep deprived individuals display a greater difficulty in performing everyday tasks compared to well rested individuals. The study also reveals that sleep deprivation is linked to obesity, depression, anxiety and the suppression of the immune system. The research conducted suggests that sleep deprivation can be recognised in adults by mood fluctuations, and difficulty in concentration, while children will tend to become emotionally explosive. The findings also detail simple lifestyle alterations available to combat sleep deprivation.
Cultural belief leads people into thinking that one can not be successful without sleep. This is the main theory that Doctor William Dement bases his study on. Dr. Dement has done marvelous work on REM sleep, sleep apnea and narcolepsy. He is sure that eating and sleeping are in the same category of importance. Eight hours of sleep a night is the minimum of sleep for one person, any less gives a sleep debt that has to be fulfilled.
To sleep an individual usually requires relaxed skeletal muscles in their posture (sleep. 2014). Also according to the many research done by United States, United Kingdom and Australia (sleep. 2014) a person usually needs to sleep for a certain amount of time depending on if it is a weekday or weeknight. Adults are supposed to sleep between ‘6 to 9 hours per night’ (sleep. 2014). However, according to sleep polls that had been undertaken by United States in 2009 and in 1998, 6 hours per night sleeping had increased from ‘12 percent in 1998 to 20 percent in 2009’(sleep. 20149. REM decreases after a night of sleep for ‘100 minute’ every night (MARZANO et al, 2010). On the other hand, there had been a decrease during the same period when the poll was created to see the average of individuals sleep for 8 hours’ (sleep.2014). For 8 hours there had decrease from ‘35 percent of people to 28 percent (sleep. 2014). In the United States, United Kingdom and Australia, adults have an average less than 7 hours of sleep per night during weekdays, which is not enough due to the amount of work they have during the day and can lead to disorders.
In Frank Bruni's article “Today’s Exhausted Superkids” he explains the importance of sleep for high school students. Mr. Bruni’s piece focused on the book “Overloaded and Under prepared” by Denise Pope, Maureen Brown and Sarah Miles. According to Mr. Bruni, the majority of American teenagers suffer from sleep deprivation. Mr. Bruni stressed the importance of sleep for teenagers yet he failed to provide detailed effects of sleep deprivation for teenagers.
Sleep is one of our basic needs to survive and to function in day to day operations, but not everyone needs the same amount of sleep. Some people can survive on very little sleep, i.e. five hours a night, and some people need a lot of sleep, to the extend that they are sleeping up to 10 to sometimes 15 hours a night (Nature, 2005). According to Wilson (2005) the general rule states that most people need from seven to eight hours of sleep. The deprivation of sleep in our society in continually increasing with the demands in society increasing work loads, the myth that a few hours of sleep is only necessary to function properly and that sleep is sometimes considered as killing time (Nature, 2005). Sometimes sleep deprivation is also caused by other situations like sleep disorders, i.e. sleep apnea, chronic insomnia or medical conditions such as stress (Wilson, 2005).
Sleep is crucial to lead a very happy and healthy life. Without sleep, people can become less focused and are constantly tired during waking life. “Sufficient sleep is increasingly being recognized as an essential aspect of chronic disease prevention and health promotion” (Are You Getting Enough Sleep?). To fight threatening diseases and to maintain a healthy lifestyle, a good night’s sleep is number one on the to-do list. However, most people think they have more important things to do other than lie down and rest, but sleep is essential to a healthy life. Putting down a distraction and going to bed is quite difficult to do, but people need a good quality and quantity amount of sleep each night. “Sleep affects mentality, creativity, physical vitality, and healthy weight. It is also not just the quantity of sleep you get, but the quality of sleep you really have to pay attention to. ” A large amount of people try to sleep as little as possible. There are too many factors at play that people would rather be doing, but sleep is just as important for happiness and good health as exercise and nutrition are (How Much Sleep Do You Need?). Lack of sleep causes mental and physica...
Contrary to what most people assume, the negative effects of sleep deprivation accumulate when the number of lacking hours of sleep of an individual is not consistent on a day-to-day basis. In fact, researchers claim that the majority of people need seven to eight hours of sleep to function in their optimal level (Brody, n.d.). By optimal, it is assumed that these individuals are able to get the most out of the “daily grind” and are able to maximize their potential through their daily activities. Getting the right amount of sleep is just as important as, say, eating the right balance of food. People are able to function, but not in a maximized manner, when the right amount of sleep is not ingested.
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.
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.
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.
These in turn can cause weight gain in adolescents and may take the form of cardiovascular diseases in adulthood. I will also shed light on some of the other long- term health effects of sleep deprivation such as type 2 diabetes, chronic kidney disease and gastrointestinal disorders. I will also point out that sleep disruption may also be associated with the increase in the risk of certain cancers and even death. This is because excessive exposure to light at night decreases production of melatonin (sleep hormone) which can lead to acceleration of tumor growth, that may have carcinogenic