The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Teenage Students
- Introduction
Sleep deprivation is nothing new. Psychologists and the public alike are already aware of its detriment to physical and mental health. Why, then, does an entire demographic continue to participate in such a detrimental activity? While the answer to this question may be up to speculation, its implications are not. In short, though teenage students are encouraged to get a healthy amount of sleep, most are required to wake up early and stay up late in a school system that requires them to function at a high cognitive level on a daily basis, causing various mental and physical side effects.
The fact of the matter is that teenagers aren’t given an environment that is suitable for sleep. While course loads are increased and extracurricular activities are encouraged, they’re still required to get up early only to end up crawling into bed for a mediocre amount of sleep. Teenagers need 8–10 hours of sleep, yet research shows that over 87% of teens aren’t getting enough (Richter, 2015). This poses serious health risks that will be highlighted later in this paper.
This paper will be structured into five categories (Introduction, Causes of Sleep Deprivation, Effects of Sleep Deprivation, Combating the Issue, and Conclusion) so as to encompass the entire cycle that is teenage sleep deprivation. In an effort to accurately pinpoint this argument, research will consist of both academic and non-academic credible sources.
2. Causes of Sleep Deprivation
Technology has long been a constant source of criticism and blame for teen sleep deprivation. It has been proven that using technology before sleeping consequently tells the brain that it isn’t time to sleep (Richter, 2015). This causes, as one can guess, the teen to stay up ‘just a couple seconds longer.’ That ‘couple seconds’ can snowball into a ‘couple minutes’ and eventually a ‘couple hours,’ resulting in an incredibly tired teen.
The social pressures that technology introduces aren’t too healthy, either. Many constantly check notifications and text friends who in turn check their notifications and text their friends. This creates a widespread, interconnected community of soon-to-be exhausted adolescents. To make matters worse, an alarming amount of teens claim this to be the norm. They wouldn’t be wrong. An astonishing 72 percent of teens bring their phones to bed with them and 28 percent keep their phones turned on while they sleep (Richter, 2015).
While the technology usage debate does have roots in reality, research has shown that circadian rhythms are to blame as well. The teen circadian rhythm is shifted a whole 2 hours later than both young children and adults (Richter, 2015). This means that teens start becoming tired later in the day (11 p.m.) and naturally wake up later (around 8 a.m.).
Despite this, school start times are consistent across the board for primary and secondary education. It becomes a source of frustration and stress for teens that just want to get another hour or two of sleep. The Start School Later movement (which will be discussed later) continues to pioneer the issue, citing benefits from schools that have already taken the hint.
Schools also fail to recognize that teenagers biologically need more sleep. Many tend to believe that as one gets older, their need for sleep lessens. This is at least what is seen on average (Feldman, 2017, p. 127), but teens are the exception. According to the American Psychological Association:
“in the past two decades studies have shown that teen-agers require considerably more sleep to perform optimally than do younger children or adults. Starting around the beginning of puberty and continuing into their early 20s, Carskadon and colleagues have shown, adolescents need about 9.2 hours of sleep each night, compared with the 7.5 to 8 hours that adults need,” (Carpenter, 2001).
This research goes widely unreported, however, allowing the skewed public opinion to continue undeterred.
Teens are also under the false pretense that they can “catch up” on their sleep debt. In an effort to accomplish this, they typically sleep much longer on the weekends than the weekdays. Sometimes, however, their “backlog of sleep debt” is more than a simple weekend snooze can fix (Richter, 2015).
3. Effects of Sleep Deprivation
According to the National Sleep Foundation, sleep deprivation can cause aggression, impaired cognitive function, irritability, unhealthy eating habits, dangerous driving, acne, increased nicotine/caffeine use, and heightened alcohol effects (“Teens and Sleep”). These problems become especially evident in an academic setting, where cooperation and coordination is constantly required.
Lack of sleep also feeds into behavior that could one day contribute to a much larger problem, such as substance abuse and depression (Caimey, 2013). This obviously doesn’t mean that all teens are fated to become depressed drug addicts, but sleep deprivation certainly doesn’t help matters.
The physical effects of sleep deprivation aren’t afraid to rear their ugly heads either. When teens don’t get enough sleep, the parts of their brains responsible for processing emotion become more sensitive. In response to this, teens become irritable and easily annoyed (Feldman, 2017, p. 127). Obesity becomes an issue as well due to an increase in Ghrelin (appetite stimulator) and a decrease in Leptin (appetite deterrent). Sleep deprivation also raises levels of a lipid called endocannabinoid in the blood. Endocannabinoids have an effect that is comparable to marijuana usage, making sweet, fatty foods more pleasurable to eat in the night (“The Connection Between Sleep and Overeating).
Sleep isn’t just defined by mental or physical side effects, however. When a teen wakes up without getting enough sleep, they are disrupting a natural sleep process. The human body goes through five stages of sleep. Stages 1–4 aren’t relevant to the topic at hand, but REM sleep, the “fifth stage,” is vital to the human brain. Though we aren’t exactly sure why it is so important, it is believed that REM sleep aids in memory and the retention of learned content. It is also the stage in which dreams occur. The problem is that REM happens later on in the last few hours of the sleep cycle (Feldman, 2017, pp. 216-217). This means that sleep deprivation is actively suppressing memory and retention of learned content as well as stripping away the ability to dream. In the words of Dr. Rafael Pelayo, “We’re not giving them a chance to dream,” (Richter, 2015).
In order to put these effects into perspective, let’s look at an average sleep-deprived teen’s day. At school, they are expected to be attentive and alert, striving to learn and participate in discussion themselves. Along with this, they are coaxed to become involved in sports, fine arts, clubs, and various other extracurricular activities. After school, they must return home to accomplish chores and work on that day’s supply of homework. Then, after all is said and done, they clamber into bed to sleep the night away.
The catch is that this teen has gotten less than the recommended 8–10 hours of sleep (“Teens and Sleep”). In reality, they will only be partially attentive, have difficulty participating in discussion, give a lessened physical and mental performance, will not complete their homework to the best of their ability, and will get a less-than-ideal amount of sleep. Many teens experience this exact same pattern, and it isn’t getting better (Richter, 2015).
4. Combating the Issue
As previously mentioned, the Start School Later movement is leading the charge in adolescent sleep advocacy. Though their research sample sizes are somewhat tiny (due to the hesitancy to push back start times), the benefits seem to outweigh the negatives. In one particular study, schools with later start times reported a 2–3 percent increase in math and reading standardized test scores (Caimey, 2013).
Why haven’t schools chosen to push back start times in the wake of these studies? Much of it comes down to money. As identified in the TED talk above, schools may be afraid of “updating bus routes, increased transportation costs, impact on sports, or care before or after school.” These worries, however, are largely unfounded when considering the various benefits associated with a later start time.
Teens don’t have to wait for adults to make decisions, either. Unfortunately, teens can’t “catch up” on sleep, per se, (Crouch, 2017), but by taking personal steps and tweaking minor things about their day, they can help improve the quality and quantity of their sleep. “Teens and Sleep,” an article by the National Sleep Foundation, has effective solutions for sleep deprivation that are too numerous to list here. Some particularly good suggestions are “No pills, vitamins or drinks can replace good sleep,” and “Try keeping a diary or to do list.”
5. Conclusion
All-in-all, teen sleep deprivation is an epidemic (and a common one, at that) that causes multiple side effects which, in turn, can affect academic performance and mental/physical functions. There are many factors influencing this claim, including school start times and teens themselves. Though this paper has covered the topic extensively, it is but the tip of the iceberg when it comes to research published about sleep deprivation effects. Many credible sources that delve much deeper into the topic are listed below. It is encouraged that personal conclusions are drawn from this essay as well, as everyone needs their shuteye.
References
Caimey, G. (2013). Experts: Later School Start Helps Sleep-Deprived Teens. Education Week, 32(26), 13. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy.southeast.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=86705827&site=ehost-live
Carpenter, S. (2001, October). Sleep deprivation may be undermining teen health. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/monitor/oct01/sleepteen
Crouch, M. (2017). Generation Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z. Scholastic Choices, 33(1), 10–15. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy.southeast.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=124738315&site=ehost-live
Feldman, R. S. (2017). States of Consciousness. In Essentials of Understanding Psychology, Volume 2 — with contributions from Dr. Kimberly Paul — Special Edition for Southeast Community College (12th ed.) (p. 121–156). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Richter, R. (2015, October 8). Among teens, sleep deprivation an epidemic. Retrieved November 25, 2019, from https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2015/10/among-teens-sleep-deprivation-an-epidemic.html
The National Sleep Foundation. (n.d.). Sleep for Teenagers. Retrieved from https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/teens-and-sleep
The National Sleep Foundation. (n.d.).The Connection Between Sleep and Overeating. Retrieved from https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/connection-between-sleep-and-overeating