By: Katelyn Liston, Reporter
Sleep deprivation is a common problem found in any high school. Two thirds of all children are diagnosed with a sleeping disorder. Many try to correct this problem with 5-hour energies, coffee, chocolate, and other sources of caffeine, but these items only supply temporary relief from their exhaustion. Suffering from a lack of sleep can have a major effect on one’s health as well as their grades.
The average teenager receives much less than the 9 1/4 hours of sleep each night needed to properly function. Although it is not realized, being deprived of sleep leaves one much more than just groggy. According to Harvard’s Importance of Sleep study, a lack of sleep affects one’s ability to retain information they learn, slows metabolism which leads to weight gain, and causes one to be irritable, unable to concentrate, and impatient.
Freshman Amrita Kapat says, “Not getting enough sleep at night affects my performance in school because I am very tired and I cannot pay attention in my classes. It also makes me very agitated and I cannot communicate with the teacher very well.”
Sleep deficiency has also been shown to negatively impact students’ performances in school. When one is not well-rested, their ability to recall information and focus falters. This can lead to insomnia—the inability to sleep. Persistent sleep problems have also been found in relation to learning difficulties, while teenage insomnia specifically is shown to contribute to stress, anger, and even depression. Those who do acquire an adequate amount of sleep typically perform better in school and receive better grades.
IB Chemistry teacher Mrs. Susan Brennan says, “I don’t know if [my students] are [suffering from a lack of sleep] because I don’t follow them home. Do I encourage them not to sleep? No. Do I think their grades will go up [if they sleep]? Yes, definitely. I have had students that I flat out told them to sleep, and you know what? Their grades went up. I strongly encourage students to sleep.”
The long-term impacts of inadequate sleep can cause serious health concerns. Sleep deprivation has many side effects including: risk of stroke, obesity, heightened chance of developing diabetes, memory loss, weak bones, susceptibility to cancer, heart problems, and even death. Regarding an increased risk of death due to lack of sleep—a study shows that those who slept less than six hours a night were more likely to die over, from multiple causes, a 14 year period. There have also been cases of death due to people not sleeping for many nights on end.
Fixing sleep deprivation is as easily as making a set time that one will go to sleep and leaving a sufficient amount of time for sleep in one’s schedule.
Sophomore Grant Williams says, “I manage to stay in shape by organizing my time well and instead of procrastinating do my homework in my spare [time]. Just go to bed and don’t waste your time doing things that aren’t important.”