The Importance Of Sleep Deprivation

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Sitting in a classroom full of half asleep students, it is easy to fall asleep to the droning voice of a teacher, lecturing about a particularly boring subject. Some students experience accidentally falling asleep in class, claiming it was their lack of sleep which earned them a detention slip. Many students across the globe live through this experience, all caused by sleep deprivation. Sleep is an overlooked factor in health that many brush off, even bragging about the few hours they managed to snag the night before—but it is an important aspect of our lives. The primary purpose of sleep is to repair the body, and with little sleep, the body is unable to flush out the “bad” (Atkinson). In sleep, there are two different cycles, the REM and…show more content…
In addition, the growth hormone is released in this stage, and cells grow and repair themselves as well (Littlehales 26-27). In today’s day and age, researchers have been able to narrow down sleep deprivation as one of the leading factors of many diseases (Huffington). Many of the diseases, such as heart disease, could be prevented by more sleep in years earlier. About twenty or so years ago, technology was not as advanced as it is today. It was less common, and inconvenient to call a friend after school. In addition, there was no such thing as text message (Zou). With the lack of technology twenty years ago, teens went to sleep earlier and has different experiences from the adolescents today. In fact, one of the key reasons why teens are sleeping less have to do with social media. According to the Johnson Press Staff, “Boys made up 51.4 [to] 59.6 percent [while] girls made up 48.6 [to] 67.9 percent” of students with sleep deprivation caused by social media. This issue is crucial now, and it is very important for parents and administrators to address…show more content…
Academics and performance are important, but many students are not reaching their full potential with sleep deprivation. According to clinical psychiatrist Reut Gruber, “‘Short or poor sleep is a significant risk factor for poor academic performance that is frequently ignored” (Locker). Not only is the performance affected academically, but also plays a major factor for many athletes—disabling them to perform their very best. This impacts the brain—our most important organ—and one that we use to learn. According to Helene Emsellem, medical director at the Center for Sleep and Wake Disorders in Chevy Chase, the brain stores information worth keeping and learning, and flushes the information not worth keeping (Boston). This is almost as if the brain was sweeping out the dust in the corners of the synapses. With the lack of sleep offered by athletes and those that are unable to manage their time well, students are performing worse than their full potential. According to Reut Gruber, there was a “‘significant’ performance variable in math and languages that was related to a good night’s sleep. Especially math. [14%] of the variability [was] found in math … [and] was explained by sleep deficiency” (Locker). The drop of performance in math and languages was because the brain needs to remember and memorize things in those specific classes, which ultimately is thrown off when

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