Students around the world are forced into a cycle by their schools. Classes start too soon, causing early wake-up times. Long lectures, mandatory socialization, and mountains of classwork can leave students drained, but the day is not over yet. When they reach home, they have hours of homework and studying ahead of them; some even pull all-nighters to finish it all. And that’s not to include the extracurriculars that many spend time on, which only adds to their schedule. It's no wonder that around 73% of high school students get less than the recommended amount of sleep, and the amount is only decreasing.
A common misconception is that adolescents go to bed later because they choose to stay up. This belief is not always true; in fact, it has been established since the early 1990s that teens have a biological tendency to sleep later—by as much as two hours—than their younger counterparts due to hormonal changes and shifts in melatonin production. As kids grow older, they are naturally inclined to go to bed later. This phenomenon became widely recognized and is now known as "sleep-phase delay". Their circadian rhythm—their body’s internal clock—shifts to a later time, making it more difficult to fall asleep before 11 p.m.
Despite this occurrence, many students still find themselves forced to wake up for school which starts at relatively early hours. This compresses their sleep time, and many are forced out of bed before they are physically or mentally ready. Additionally, it not only takes away valuable rest time but also disrupts their natural rhythm since teens are being robbed of the dream-rich, rapid-eye-movement stage of sleep, some of the deepest, most productive sleep time, said Rafael Pelayo, MD, a pediatric sleep specialist. He even goes as far as to say, "We’re not giving them a chance to dream.". To make up for this deprivation, many adolescents try to sleep more on the weekends, but this only disrupts their sleep cycle further.
However, schools are not the only reason for sleep deprivation. As many have probably heard, electronic use before sleep and during the night is also harmful to the amount of sleep one receives. It’s not because of the sites one uses, but due to the actual light that is emitted from the screen. When light hits the eye, it signals the brain to stop melatonin production, which keeps someone from becoming tired. It is common for students to stay up late writing essays or talking with friends, and though it helps to create a working environment, this negatively impacts the student later when they try to sleep. Even those who’d used a device an hour before sleeping were less likely to report getting a good night's sleep and feeling refreshed in the morning. Many of these teens were also more likely to drive while drowsy, which harms not only them but also those around them.
The effects of sleep deprivation are numerous and can include an inability to concentrate, poor grades, drowsy driving incidents, behavior issues, anxiety, depression, thoughts of suicide, and even suicide attempts. One major detriment is that it disables the brain from properly functioning during rest. When teens sleep, the brain goes through processes of consolidation—learning from experiences and making memories. In layman's terms, the brain goes through a filtration process, keeping important things and letting through the unimportant ones. If this does not occur, cognitive function suffers, along with the capacity to learn.
Sleep is incredibly important for students. It impacts academic performance, as it is harder to take tests and answer questions when focusing on itself is difficult. There would also be a decrease in drowsy-driving incidents since more sleep leads to more alertness. This is good to keep in mind if you are planning your schedule for college or university. If it is not mandatory, try not to take an early morning class and instead use that time to rest or get prepared for the rest of the day. Though sleep deprivation may be spreading among the population of students, there are always measures one can take to enable full nights of rest. Make sure to follow them and keep dreaming.
References:
News Center. “Among Teens, Sleep Deprivation an Epidemic.” News Center, 8 Oct. 2015, med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2015/10/among-teens-sleep-deprivation-an-epidemic.html.
“100+ Sleep Statistics - Facts and Data about Sleep 2023.” Sleep Foundation, 18 May 2023, www.sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/sleep-facts-statistics#:~:text=From%20the%20ages%20of%2013,of%20sleep%20for%20their%20age.
“Why Are Teenagers so Sleep-Deprived?” Child Mind Institute, 3 Feb. 2023, childmind.org/article/teenagers-sleep-deprived/.