By Janaki Patel: independent research student (junior)<\/p>\n
The average person can survive more than three weeks without food, but only around ten
\ndays without sleep. In the modern world, high schoolers tend to participate in many oppressive
\nactivities, which do not allow for a full night\u2019s sleep. This in turn disrupts their circadian sleep
\ncycle, which is a series of mental, physical, and behavioral changes that follow a daily pattern.
\nAlthough they are just beginning their journey into adulthood, adolescents are increasingly
\nexposed to many competitive environments, including the stress of school, allowing them to
\nexperience the effects of sleep deprivation too early in their life.
\nSleep deprivation can often lead to more serious problems such as fatigue. The symptoms
\nof fatigue and sleepiness are so similar that many are unable to differentiate the between the two.
\nSleepiness can only be solved by sleeping, while fatigue does not automatically lead to the need
\nfor sleep. Fatigue consists of exhaustion from exposure to a demanding task for a considerable
\namount of time, and can be rectified by stopping the task and doing something more relaxing.<\/p>\n
The symptoms reflect an imbalance between the demands of education, sports, extracurriculars,
\nthe rapid change in growth and development of these adolescents and the healthy sleep
\nrequirements that these teenagers need. Accordingly, they need more sleep than adults, yet these
\ndemands often cause them to sleep less.<\/p>\n
Sleep deprivation in adolescents leads to decreased\u00a0motivation causing a decline in grades, poor mental and physical health, impaired motor control,\u00a0and delayed reaction time. Sleep deprivation can also have an effect on executive functioning,\u00a0which are a set of skills that help get things done. Executive function is controlled by a structure\u00a0of the brain called the frontal lobe. The frontal lobe regulates activities such as managing time\u00a0and concentration. A reduction in regulation due to sleep deprivation can reduce the\u00a0effectiveness of the frontal lobe. For example, sleep deprived people have difficulties thinking of\u00a0imaginative words or ideas, instead choosing repetitious words and phrases.<\/p>\n
Sleep deprivation\u00a0causes the capacity to process information to be reduced, and therefore it is not optimal. When\u00a0learning information during the day at a less than optimal state, the brain will not retain it while\u00a0sleeping.
\nAnother serious impact that sleep deprivation can have it drowsy driving. Many may not
\nrealize the drastic effect that drowsy driving can have. It can lead to car accidents and possibly
\ndeath. It is not possible to control the body when sleep overcomes it, and this can have drastic
\nconsequences, especially when it comes to driving. According to a National Sleep Foundation
\npoll, \u201c60% of adult drivers (about 168 million people) say they have driven a vehicle while
\nfeeling drowsy in the past year. Additionally, more than one-third of Americans (about 103
\nmillion people), have actually fallen asleep at the wheel”. Drowsy drivers include people who
\nhave had long work shifts, or have been driving for a long time. The National Highway Traffic
\nSafety Administration predicts that drowsy drivers caused 72,000 crashes, 44,000 injuries, and
\n800 deaths in 2013.
\nTo gauge the toll of lack of sleep on high school students, a recent survey was sent out to
\nthe high school student population of River Hill High School in Howard County, Maryland. This
\nform of data collection included voluntary participation regarding the effect of students\u2019
\ncognitive abilities after the effects of lack of sleep. Out of 109 students, 73.4% have fallen asleep
\nin class, and 82.6% recall usually feeling tired in school. Only 5.5% get the healthy 8+ hours of
\nsleep per night, and 97.2% wish they could get more sleep. In a typical day, 58.7% of\u00a0participants do homework between school and dinnertime, and 24.8% participate in sports. The
\nsurvey results and research show a strong correlation between the hours of sleep one receives
\nand his or her energy, mental illness, and overall health.
\nIn order to avoid these harmful effects, make sure to take breaks while performing
\nrigorous and mentally or physically draining activities. Rest is important, so make sure to get the
\nmost hours of sleep possible. A factor affecting this is technology use, which can deter the brain
\nfrom slowing down and being able to fall asleep. The light from technology excites the neurons,
\nand causes the brain to fight against the mechanism of sleep. The \u201cblue light\u201d from electronic
\ndevices trick the brain into thinking that it is daytime, slowing down melatonin production which
\nthe body needs to feel sleepy. Naps are also an essential part of giving the body and brain a break
\nand to restore energy. Fifteen minute naps can help by providing more energy to perform work,
\nbut a thirty or more minute nap is not the best solution because it will be harder to fall asleep at
\nnight, when the body is wired to rest. It is also important to create a schedule that allows you to
\ntake care of yourself. Take classes that are challenging, but not overwhelming. Make sure to
\nprioritize your health before anything else.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Janaki Patel: independent research student (junior) The average person can survive more than three weeks without food, but only around ten days without sleep. In the modern world, high schoolers tend to participate in many oppressive activities, which do not allow for a full night\u2019s sleep. This in turn disrupts their circadian sleep cycle,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":996,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[295],"tags":[308,286,307,287,269,211,285,309,310,299],"class_list":["post-995","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-independent-research","tag-independent-research","tag-journalism","tag-naps","tag-newspaper","tag-rhhs","tag-river-hill","tag-river-hill-high-school","tag-sleep","tag-sleep-deprivation","tag-writing"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"http:\/\/riverhillcurrent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/shutterstock_208221775.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/riverhillcurrent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/995","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/riverhillcurrent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/riverhillcurrent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/riverhillcurrent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/riverhillcurrent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=995"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/riverhillcurrent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/995\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":997,"href":"http:\/\/riverhillcurrent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/995\/revisions\/997"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/riverhillcurrent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/996"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/riverhillcurrent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=995"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/riverhillcurrent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=995"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/riverhillcurrent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=995"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}