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Sleep deprivation effects on academic performance
Sleep deprivation effects on academic performance
Sleep deprivation effects on academic performance
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Sleep Deprived Teenagers
On average, high school teenagers need to obtain nine to twelve hours of sleep for their body to function properly. The body undergoes four stages of sleep. “Stage 1 sleep, the lightest stage, is the transition from being awake to deeper sleep. Stage 2, intermediate sleep, accounts for 40% to 50% percent of your sleep time. Stages 3 and 4, called slow wave or delta sleep, are the deepest levels and occur mostly in the first third of the night.” Most high school students only reach the third or fourth level three times a night, which is the most vital. At this stage the body of the student is slowly repairing itself (Karriem-Norwood).
These results of sleep absence have caught the attention of Dr. Mary A. Carskadon of Brown University who did an experiment of the effects of sleep in the body, which has revealed that students’ bodies have become accustomed to the circumstances it has been involved in. Denise Dador, health specialist, stated, “Experts say about 80 percent of high school students are sleep deprived. They’re biologically programmed to stay up late” (Dador). Although the bodies of most high school students have evolved, side effects have emerged. Students have increase stress in their lives from the pressure to finish homework; high blood pressure can also result from the same problem of stress. Research also found that depleted amounts of sleep in students causes a decrease of learning and memory, since their mind is focused on sleeping. A freshman in high school states, “If I get less than four hours of sleep I find it a lot harder to stay focused, which makes it difficult to pay attention in class and do well on assignments,” (qtd in Taylor)
Dr. Kohler, a pediatric sleep expert, states the...
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Stress is a reaction to a stimulus that disturbs both the physical and mental equilibrium. When you lose sleep not only are you mentally unbalanced, but you can also become unbalanced physically. Stress prompts the fight or flight responses, which can assist you in many everyday life situations. Although there is not much research focused on the topic of stress and sleep, this paper will attempt to reveal that there is a link between the two aforementioned topics. Since the human body’s stress system contributes to our ability to adapt and to our unceasingly changing society, it is imperative to know whether or not it is affected by sleep deprivation. This paper will focus on 11th graders due to the fact that the third year in high school is considered the most rigorous, since it is the year that is heavily looked upon by colleges. Do students who take more rigorous courses have less hours of sleep and more stress as opposed to students who do not take such rigorous
Yager, J. (2010, August 1). Sleep Benefits and Sleep Deprivation Risks. ConsumerAffairs. Retrieved July 20, 2014, from http://www.consumeraffairs.com/sleep-benefits-and-sleep-deprivation-risks?page=1
Another reason that causes the negative relationship between sleep deprivation and academic performance is the impact of high-stress level that is caused by sleep deprivation. As mentioned earlier, sleep deprivation could decrease a student’s critical thinking and problem-solving skills. However, it can also make the students feel more stressful. According to the survey conducted in Ball State campus, there are 15 students that often do their homework before they go to bed. 10 students play video games, computer games, and mobile games before they go to sleep. 8 students use their electronic devices to do social activities. 5 students watch movies and television series and 2 students read books before they go to bed. This information proves
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
June J. Pilcher published an article “How sleep Deprivation Affects Psychological Variables Related to College Students Cognitive Performance,” in the Journal of American College Health on November of 1997.
My physical health is the dimension I’ve chosen that requires a beneficial change. Within this dimension, changing my sleeping habits is my main goal. According to Hershner and Chervin (2014), irregular sleep patterns and sleepiness have a negative impact on a student’s performance, memory, and on their ability to learn
"How Much Sleep Do We Really Need?" National Sleep Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 May 2014. .
The majority of teenage students do not get the recommended amount of sleep suggested. Ironically, this hectic time in life filled with both school and social demands is when a person needs the most sleep. Students age 13-18 need at least 9 hours of sleep to avoid daytime sleepiness and feel awake at school. However, an article of the National Sleep Foundation, Backgrounder: Later School Start Times, shares the statistic that by the end of high school, students average 7 hours of sleep or less per night. The teen sleep cycle naturally lasts from around 11:00 pm to 8:00 am, and it is difficult to break. With activities and family obligations, many students cannot get to bed that early. Even the ones who make it by that time are unable to fall asleep until 11:00 pm because that is when their body becomes sleepy. Many teens have to get up around 6:30-7:00 am to get ready for school cutting their cycle short. This problem cou...
Sleeping is something that is an essential part of human nature and is a must in order for one to be a functional human being. Sleep is an idea that is accompanied by many wives’ tales, including the ideas that one needs seven to eight hours of sleep each night and alcohol helps one fall asleep and sleep more soundly. One myth about sleep is that during sleeping, one is in a state of nothingness. In truth, however, it has been discovered that during sleep the brain is active, variations in heartbeat and breathing occur, and the eyes and ears are active throughout the time of sleep. These activities during a person’s sleep are important because they help that person be more aware, awake, and alert during consciousness. 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 in college students. A college student’s sleeping pattern is a reliable indicator to 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 the level of performance and health in an individual; the more rested a person is, the better that person will perform and feel (Dryer, 2006).
"Common Sleep Problems." KidsHealth - the Web's Most Visited Site about Children's Health. Ed. Mary L. Gavin. The Nemours Foundation, 01 Jan. 2011. Web. 08 Mar. 2014.
It is a periodic reversible loss of consciousness, in which varying levels of brain activity occur. Despite the multiple stages and cycles experienced in one night of sleep, the average recommended amount of sleep is seven to eight hours. During this lab, we tested the effects of sleep duration on memory. Conducting three trials of sleep, we were able to determine the validity of our hypothesis. Our research results failed to reject our hypothesis, which stated that getting eight hours of sleep would result in the best memory results compared to the other two
Carpenter, S. (n.d.). Sleep deprivation may be undermining teen health. http://www.apa.org. Retrieved March 6, 2014, from http://www.apa.org/monitor/oct01/sleepteen.aspx
University students are renowned for their sub-optimal sleeping habits and high stress levels and it is estimated that approximately 27% of student’s report suffering from a sleep related disorder (Gaultney, 2010). Sleep is an essential biological function that aids in recover, and learning and memory consolidation (Walker & Stickgold, 2004). A lack of sleep quality has been considered to have a strong relationship with a variety of negative consequences that include increased stress levels, psychological disorders and reduced academic performance (Fortunato & Harsh, 2006; Marhefka, 2011).
Preliminary Thesis Statement: Sleep deprivation has detrimental effects on the health and academic performance of students.
assesses the consequences of sleep deprivation in human beings and briefly look for the causes