Effects of Sleep Deprivation

Sleep Deprivation

How many hours of sleep do you average a night? If it's not close to nine, you may be sleep deprived. Teens are notorious for staying up late at night and being hard to wake in the morning (Teen Sleep). College students around the world tend to not receive the appropriate amount of sleep in a given night. This is usually due to study habits and/or social events taking place. Not getting adequate sleep can have serious health and mental effects on a person.

Many people think that they can just get use to not sleeping a lot. They think that over time, their body is just going to adapt to not getting the right amount of sleep. The fact is, you won't. Your body still needs an appropriate amount of sleep every night. Trying to play "catch-up" on sleep during the weekends may actually disrupt and confuse your body's internal clock even more. And more sleep is not always the answer. Studies have shown adults who repeatedly sleep more than ten hours a night have been associated with weight gain and other health problems (Morgenthaler). So you need make a full night of sleep a high priority in your life. Too little sleep may contribute to mood swings and other behavioral problems (Teen Sleep). Lack of sleep can actually cause you to get sick easier because infection-fighting cells are reduced when you're suffering from sleep deprivation. Also, lack of sleep can affect how fast you recover from being sick (Morgenthaler).

When you don't receive the right amount of sleep, there will be consequences which include poor school performance, increased risk of accidents and injuries, and even depression (Hockenbury 148). Students think that if they cram in more hours of studying and take away from their hours of sleep that they will "ace this test." Yet studies have shown that students who get adequate sleep, tend to do better than those who don't. Granted, the student may know the information well but daytime sleepiness does impair your ability to think and process the information (Breus). So therefore, you may over think a question on a test, or just simply read the question wrong.

Some bad sleeping patterns may not be your fault. Caffeine may be to blame. Staying awake too long creates an increase level of adenosine receptors, which reflect the energy used for brain and body activity and caffeine blocks those receptors, creating wakefulness (Hockenbury 147). Consuming too much caffeine in any given day, could result in loss of sleep. There are several things you can do to help you fall asleep aside from lessening the caffeine, these include; Adjust the lighting, stick to a schedule, maybe take a thirty minute nap if needed, and simply keep things calm (Teen Sleep). These are all simple things you can do, that can have a serious impact on how you will feel the next day.

Teenagers need more sleep than others because of the changes their bodies are going through. Puberty changes a person's internal clock making it harder to fall asleep until eleven p.m. or later.