Sleep Deprivation and Test Scores

Sleep deprivation is something that every adult, teenager, and child has suffered from at some point in their lives. Being deprived of sleep has negative effects on mood, productivity, immunity against infection, weight, reaction time, memory, blood pressure, and many other things. (Psych textbook pg 90) But what effect does it have on the test scores of teenagers? Most teenagers say they wish that they could get more sleep during the week and claim they often feel the harsh effects of sleep deprivation. (Psych 90) If teenagers were to get more sleep, especially on nights before exams, would teachers see an increase in test scores, grades, and students’ overall productivity? The following research done by many other psychologists helps to answer that question.

For example, in a 1998 study written by David Gozal in Pediatrics Journal called “Sleep Disordered Breathing and School Performance in Children” the author studied sleep apnea in children. He took two hundred and ninety-seven first-grade students that were in the bottom ten percent of their class and tested them for sleep apnea. The author did a one night recording of the children’s pulse oximetry and transcutaneous partial pressure of carbon dioxide to see if they were suffering from sleep apnea. He found that fifty-four of the children were indeed suffering from sleep apnea. Of that fifty-four, twenty-four were medically treated for their sleep apnea by undergoing surgical tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. After observing the grades of all the children for one year after the study, it was determined that the average grades of the children

who had sleep apnea and were medically treated increased overall, while the grades of the children who went untreated or didn’t have...

... middle of paper ...

...se rooms must all be the same size, have the same amount of light, and be the same temperature. The beds the students will use must all have the same size, shape, and type of mattress. They must have the same amount and type of pillows, blankets, and sheets. Meals will need to be provided after the students learn the new skill and in the morning before the students take their exam. It is important that each student is given the same meal and the same amount of water to drink during the night. Exams will need to be provided in the classroom the next morning as well as someone to monitor the students while taking it. Pencils and erasers will need to be provided to each of the students.

Procedure

The experiment begins by taking the subjects to a classroom and teaching them a new skill. It must be something that none of the subjects have any previous experience with.