The effect of sleep deprivation on teenagers...

[3bsaya]

    Being in a performing arts high school (specifically LAG) has pros and cons. One very prominent issue that goes around in my head like a train would most definitely be the fact that WE DO NOT GET ENOUGH SLEEP! LaGuardia school hours are very, very long and tiresome. Most of us start school at 8am, and go through the full 10 periods until 4:09pm. After school, many students have extracurricular activities. For example, I have to go to dance company classes and rehearsals from 5:15 to 8:30 on certain days, and as soon as I return home I do my endless hours of homework. On average, I would say I have been living on 4 to 5 and 1/2 hours of sleep for three years on weekdays. (Why do you think I am still 4' 11")? That is not enough sleep for a person my age. Studies have shown that a teenager should be getting on average, 8 to 9 and 1/2 hours of sleep each night. By sleeping these amount of hours the student's productivity rate will increase, due to the fact that they are able to retain more information and not have the urge to knock out in class. Sleep deprivation has many effects on teenagers, especially because our minds are still growing and developing. One effect of sleep deprivation is depression. Research shows that people lacking sleep have a 10-fold higher risk of developing depression. (Attachment 1). 

Other effects of sleep deprivation... (as I fall asleep typing this)

    -difficulty in school (disciplinary problems, sleepiness in class, lack of focus and/or concentration)
    -general fatigue (causes traffic accidents- attachment 2)
    -behavioral issues (violent outbursts and breakdowns)
    -stunts physical and mental growth

Attachment1.html (70.27 KB)Attachment2.html (42.18 KB)

[6vjeremy]

I completely agree with this, and probably most LaG students would too. Even more startling than the short term effects, though, are the long term effects. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK19961/ This link includes some of these effects, connecting sleep deprivation with diseases and conditions such as diabetes and hypertension(high blood pressure). Certain problems with lack of sleep can be dealt with, as fatigue and lack of focus are all workable issues. However, when long term health is brought to the table, the problem becomes more serious. It is hard to accept the possibility of future problems regarding health. The price of staying up late consistently for school or anything else, really, is too high. Nothing is worth sacrificing one's own health. Although I don't have the link handy, as I saw this website a few months ago, I recall reading about a connection between alzheimers and sleep deprivation. it wouldn't surprise me to learn that such a connection is true, as even the short term effects deal with shortcomings of the brain and mind.

[6WElahe]

I agree wholeheartedly that sleep deprivation is a major problem with today’s high school students. Many students are not able to get the suggested amount of sleep, which is around 9 hours, due to hours spent doing homework and other obligations. It is important to get enough sleep in order to function well during the day. A remarkable amount of stress  is put on your body when you wake up in the morning, having not gotten much rest, and are active during the day. A lot of tension is put on you and your body. Teenagers also need sleep to help with the development and growth that they go through during their teenage years. Not getting enough sleep may impede brain development or body development. A lack of sleep is detrimental to your health and also your attitude. According to the National Sleep Foundation, a lack of sleep may limit concentration, affect memory, cause acne, induce aggression, cause weight gain, and contribute to illness. Also, sleep deprivation often causes or increases symptoms of depression in teenagers, who are already vulnerable to the common mood disorder. All of these effects, which link back to the amount of sleep you get, make life additionally strenuous.

I, along with most high school students, suffer from sleep deprivation. I get about 4 hours of sleep each night and always wake up feeling sore and tired. Waking up and already feeling extremely tired is not a good sign. I sometimes fall asleep during school because I am not well rested. I usually do not even get the opportunity to catch up on much sleep during the weekend either because I have to wake up early on Saturdays and Sundays also. The reason that I do not get enough sleep is a mixture of homework and the activities that I am involved with both inside and outside of school during the week. Students at LaGuardia already get out later than most,if not all, other public schools, so being involved in anything after school means getting home pretty late. Then, once I arrive home I have homework to do, and the amount of homework varies from day to day but it usually takes quite a bit of time. My life consists of me complaining of how tired I am and how much I wish I were able to get more rest. I can see and feel the negative effects that my lack of sleep has had on me, from feeling depressed to simply sleeping in class.

Students are sometimes the ones to blame for their own sleep deprivation, but it is still important that they put their health first and get some sleep once in a while. Some students procrastinate or get distracted while doing their work (like me) and therefore it takes them a lot longer to complete things that could be finished relatively quickly. Sometimes it feels as though all I ever do at home is homework; I can’t even make time to enjoy myself in the comfort of my own home. However, going to bed early whenever possible, such as on days when you receive little homework, is a great feeling.

sleepfoundation.org/sleep-topics/teens-and-sleep

[10pisabelle]

I agree that a majority of high school students are not getting the sleep they need, and have a difficult time dealing with lack of sleep at school. For teenagers, the recommended hours of sleep we should be getting is at least 9 hours a day. Very few can say that they are getting more than 8 hours of sleep, and this can be for many reasons. One reason being school, which makes up 8-9 hours a day for most LaGuardia students. And with school, comes homework, which can takes up at least more than two hours every night. Not to mention transportation , which can also take up more than one hour per day. When all of these occupations are added up, plus activities outside of school, it does not allow for the average teenager to be getting his/her's recommended hours of sleep.
Sleep deprivation can limit your ability to learn and concentrate. It also has some negative health side effects such as being prone to depression, illness, acne, ADHD, and growth. The school board of ed. should be looking to take away hours from the school day, not increase them. The more hours we stay and school, and lose sleep, the more we are prone to health problems. Sleep deprivation should be taken more seriously, and we should be looking for ways of increasing the hours of sleep for teenagers, who need it most.

[6msherena]

I totally agree with the statements being made because as teenagers, especially in NYC, we aren't able to get the amount of sleep we crave and desire because of our locations from school, the homework, and other obligations we attend to. As a student going to LaGuardia High School, I travel from queens everyday and it is about a 45 minutes to an hour ride to school. I wake up at 6:15 and leave my house by 7:20 so that I reach school for 8:15 am and I am able to leave time in between in case of train delays and any other situation that could arise before my second period class begins. Most nights I don't sleep til 12 am or 1 am depending on how much homework I have and the time I get home from musical rehearsals and this leads me to get about 5-6 hours of sleep each night. Getting less than about 7-9 hours of sleep each day affects teenagers in a very negative way because they aren't able to perform well in academics resulting in unwanted grades. Moreover, they aren't able to learn and comprehend better than the way they would if they got the required amount of sleep. However, lack of sleep isn't only caused by school related events but also because we are teenagers and our hormones are acting up. This article showcases that our bodies can interfere with our sleep besides the complications of school related things.
www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Teenagers_and_sleep

[10agreco]

I completely agree with your statement about sleep deprivation. The truth is that on the average night I get about five hours of sleep. Between my long commute, endless about of homework, and daily tests I wake up exhausted every morning. About halfway through the week I am falling asleep in half of my classes . This effects me negatively because when I get home I cannot understand my homework. Also, I feel completely fatigued and can not stay awake during studying. It is easy to see how sleep deprivation can effect concentration levels as well as grades. When students are constantly tired in class, their ability to memorize and use cognitive functions is decreased. It also becomes harder for your body to deal with, and react to stressful situations. Sleep loss leads to depression, illness, and a bad quality of life. There is also a greater risk of being injured. Some other effects of sleep deprivation are high blood pressure, heart failure, obesity, strokes, ADD, decreased rate of growth, diabetes, aging skin, decreased creativity, and decreased optimism. It is easy to see how those who get more sleep have better qualities of life. To start off with, these people look better. Lack of sleep makes the average person look unhealthy. Secondly people with increased amount of sleep are happier and do better on exams. A study proved that over time most people who get 5 to 6 hours of sleep feel like their bodies have "gotten used to the lack of sleep." However, this statement is incorrect. Overtime people who feel like there bodies have adapted to a lack of sleep continue to do worst on exams testing alertness and memorization. I think the solution to this problem for students is to start school late,r and give less tests and homework.

[3risabel]

As wonderful and life changing the experience of going to LaGuardia is, I definitely feel as though we need more sleep. We are so greatly deprived and for me, it most certainly impacts my day negatively. I live relatively close to school. My commute only takes about half an hour and for this I am extremely grateful. However, even when getting to school takes only thirty minutes, the time I wake up is still far too early for me. Seeing as it is junior year, I am given a remarkable amount of homework each night. I am also a huge procrastinator so I go to bed very late each night. The next morning, I am forced to get out of bed at around 6:15 or I will not make it to school on time. Most mornings, I can hardly get out of bed. I normally get up half an hour later than I should and am in a frenzied rush to get out the door on time. I usually just make it to school on time. Even after this rush, trouble ensues. I can hardly concentrate at school in the morning because I am completely exhausted. I can hardly focus in my first period class which, inconveniently, is an AP class. In the long run, this inability to focus so early in the morning could possibly cost me a better grade than I will actually receive. At least eight hours of sleep is a vitality for teenagers. School should essentially start later than it does to allow for our growing minds and bodies to have more sleep.

[6REmily]

I agree to the fullest extent that many teenagers do not get enough sleep every night and that sleep deprivation is one of the many problems high school students face. In LaGuardia High School, students have ten-period school days and the school ends late. Most of us tend to have an abundant amount of homework each night, which would take hours and hours to complete. From personal experience, I get home at around 5:30 P.M. on a regular school day. I also have an excessive amount of homework, which would be nearly impossible to complete before midnight, since I also have other nightly tasks to do when I get home, such as showering and eating dinner. This causes me to try to rapidly finish my homework, while leaving some time to sleep. Unfortunately, it is not a full seven or eight hours of sleep, but it is a four to five hours of sleep each night.

Sleep deprivation is very problematic to my health and affects my activity throughout the day. Whenever I wake up, my head tends to hurt a little and my body feels very restless and lethargic. I have trouble waking up and looking forward to the rest of my day. From personal experience, whenever I am sleep deprived, I become depressed, aggressive, and sluggish. It affects my ability to concentrate and remember information, and my attitude. Whenever I am in class, I sometimes have dry eyes, and it takes me longer than usual to process the information and have it stick to my mind. I would become more independent and would find myself distancing away from my friends. Sleep deprivation is a very serious problem that I have to face almost every night.

Sleep deprivation can lead to many health problems, such as high blood pressure, risk of heart attack, risk of heart failure, stroke, obesity, diabetes, injury from accidents, and more. It can decrease performance and alertness throughout the day, and can lead to poor quality of life (Sleep Habits: More Important Than You Think). Reading about the effects and problems of a lack of sleep is very intimidating, and it makes me feel anxious and nervous. In order to cope with sleep deprivation, long school hours, and a limited amount of time finish assignments and other nightly tasks, I would have to balance out my time. However, it is very difficult to balance my time due to procrastination and stress. Ultimately, it is essential to put you health first and not overwork yourself.

www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/features/important-sleep-habits

[3gterrence]

The importance of sleep really understated. Teenagers have practically made a meme out of not getting sleep. 
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It's almost becoming a rite of passage as a high schooler to get very little sleep. "I got 0 hours of sleep doing my Dr. Benson project last night," my friend said to me yesterday. "I maybe get 4 hours a night if I'm lucky," another said. The pride in which these quotes were stated was almost unsettling, and seeing as the average teenager needs about nine hours of sleep to grow healthy, it's not hard to see why students are struggling in school. This is ironic, as sleep deprivation is often a direct result of intense school work. 

[3fkabakci]

As any high school student would, I completely agree. Sleep is vital to the human body, it is just as necessary as food and water. Teenage years is when the body is going through its most crucial period of development, and unfortunately, it's when we experience the most stress. High school is a time of change, and the effects can leave long lasting effects on our bodies. We go to school to learn, and we are tested on what we learn, but how can we be expected to fully absorb what we are being taught if we can barely stay awake in class? Lack of sleep does not just result in exhaustion, it also has dangerous long term effects. Sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, insomnia ..etc Not to mention it can dramatically alter a persons behavior. I can't remember the last time I went through a day of school without feeling completely drained, struggling to stay awake in most classes. Commuting to LaGuardia from Staten Island can be a real struggle, the two hour commute can really drain a person. As soon as I get home the first thing Id like to do is sleep, but the mound of homework and studying I have to do holds me back. The importance of sleep must be recognized.

[6djamila]

I agree that sleep deprivation is a major problem with major consequences. Adolescence is a hard time physically and emotionally because of all the rapid changes your body goes through. To keep up with these changes, and regulate everything that is going on in your body, you need an adequate amount of sleep. Teenagers are supposed to get at least 9 hours of sleep a night, but I have yet to meet a teenager who has that much time to sleep- especially on a weeknight. This generation has more competition than any generation before. With college prices through the roof, students have to put in 200% to hopefully earn a scholarship and be able to afford a good college education. This means you have to set yourself apart with grades, extracurriculars, and AP courses. This leaves little time for sleep, and it is hurting the children of this generation. Personally, I get around 6 hours of sleep a night which is more than most of my friends. Between going to school from 8:00-4:09, having rehearsals, soccer practices and games, piano lessons, testprep, 4 APs, and a whole lot of homework, by the time i get home I’m so tired I go to sleep and usually spend my mornings and free time in the day at the library finishing my homework. I think to succeed you need to sacrifice your sleep and with that your physical and mental health. This is not ok and we society should stop pushing children so hard to grow up quickly and handle so much during such a hard time.