How Inadequate Sleep and Poor Nutrition affect Students Success - Assignment Example

?Deming.yue ENG105 How Inadequate Sleep and Poor Nutrition affect Success A success is influenced by various factors. Good nutrition and sufficient sleep help students in performing well in school. Most students experience a reduction of sleep due to various behavioural factors, for example employment, excessive watching of the television and workload. In that case, providing assistance to students in any educational setting is an integral and an affirmative intervention (Howard, 199-201). It has been noted that institutions whereby children lack enough sleep and the right diet are bound to fail. Skipping of breakfast usually leads to poor scores, absenteeism and poor concentration among students. There is a need for parents and teachers to get involved in their children’s education by giving them enough support, since adequate sleep is vital for physical and neuropsychological function (Jiunn and Shih, 248). Inadequate sleep results in to inattention, daytime sleepiness, impaired attention, and memory lapse. For that reason, sufficient sleep is crucial as far as the proper functioning of the brain is concerned (Cheng, Wang and Jeng, 59). Research has revealed that there is a divergence, as far as grades are concerned, between students who get enough sleep and eat the right diet, and those who do not. Sufficient sleep helps one to relax and focus on one’s studies. Students who do have enough sleep tend to feel lazy and always procrastinates activities, leading to work load and depression. Sleeping problems are a significant hurdle to learning and cognition, and have an adverse effect on behaviour and the gaining of social competence (Gibson, Powles and Thabane, 116). Furthermore, good nutrition helps in cognitive functioning. Children who have a deficiency of calcium are likely to suffer from anaemia, which heavily impacts on their school performance. On the same note, most students consume meals that are high on sugar, fat and sodium, and which may lead to obesity and chronic ailments. Additionally, since most parents are now in the workforce, some students end up skipping nutritious meals and opting for junk foods. Consequently, poor nutrition increases the risks of high blood pressure, obesity, cancer, osteoporosis, high cholesterol, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes (Edlin and Golanty, 93-94). This brings the need for teachers and parents to support students in getting sufficient sleep and proper nutrition to ensure they perform well in school. With all the partying, preference for television programmes, part time jobs, and studying, it is inevitable for students to lack sufficient sleep and to consume poor diet. Research shows that approximately 20% of most college students suffer from insomnia. Those experiencing sleeping disorders suffer from anxiety, irritability, and weight gain, aspects that directly affecting their performance in school. Additionally, research has revealed that poor nutrition contributes immensely to diseases like cancer, diabetes, obesity, among others, hence, adversely affecting the academic performance of most students (Edlin and Golanty, 93-94). Students should think holistically on how health behaviours are related to their attainment of success (Carter et al., 8-9). Other adverse impacts of lack of sleep and poor nutrition extend to seizure, gaining of weight, and stroke. Consequently, students result in taking unpleasant measures in order to combat the effects of lack of sleep. Such measures include a high consumption of sodas, coffee, and energy drinks which end up worsening the problem. Various scholars agree that students who are sleep deprived tend to score lower marks as compared those who sleep sufficiently. The scholars further add that students should get six to about eight hours sleep in order to perform well in their tasks. People who fail to get ample rest end up having low productivity and for the students they end up registering poor scores in their academics (Gibson, Powles and Thabane, 116). Most people do not perceive lack of sleep as being a problem. The impacts of lack of sleep, as research indicates, can however be great and severe. Some of the side effects are drowsiness, poor immune system, lack of physical energy, insomnia, headache, among others. Consequently, such negative effects lead to poor performance in school as students find it hard to concentrate and engage in a healthy social life with their peers (Cheng, Wang and Jeng, 59-62). In that case, there is a need for both parents and teachers to collaborate in ensuring that they help the students get enough sleep as well as the right diet. Moreover, students should also be taught on ways in which the right diet and enough sleep impacts their academic life to ensure that they take maximum care as far as the two variables are concerned. Success in school entails making sure that students get enough sleep and the right diet. Scholars allege that lack of sleep can result in to behavioural disorders for example, frequent crying and outbursts of temper. There is an immense correlation between sleep and grades; hence, it is imperative to stick to a specific schedule of sleeping hours to avoid the negative effects. It has been noted that an increase in the amounts of fruits and vegetables consumed per day is paramount to the growth of a student, and as far as success is concerned. Taking of breakfast in schools has as well been found to be highly valuable when it comes to the students’ welfare and growth (Howard, 199-213). It is necessary for families and teachers to make students aware of the need for sleep and taking the right diet. Parents and teachers should also look for patent sleeping problems among the students and consult a doctor where necessary to avoid further complications. Moreover, programs in schools should be curtailed to cater for the two variables, and students taught on the negative impacts of lack of both sleep and right diet. In addition, allowing elementary school children to get sufficient sleep at night increases their probability to succeed in school, and to be social. This is because sleeping sufficiently allows them to be alert, concentrate more as well as get involved in various activities; thus, raising their chances of being socially active (Lareau, 64). In that case, it is crucial for teachers and parents to actively engage in matters concerning the students as far as their sleeping and eating behaviours are concerned. Most students are now enjoying the benefits of local programs that are nutritional centred and supported by the government. Students who eat well and sleep sufficiently record higher improvements as compared to those who eat poorly and rarely have sufficient sleep. The reason why most students have no time to sleep or eat as required is because of the heightened rate of ignorance among them, their parents and teachers. Today, students spend long hours watching the television and partying up to late in the night. Others have too much work load that they hardly have time to have a good sleep. Additionally, some students come from poor backgrounds, thus, they hardly have enough income to get proper meals. In that case, the government ought to intervene in dealing with these conditions that are likely to result into failure among the affected students. Research has shown that most students’ diet intake is not unswerving, since they consume food rich in fats and soft drinks. As a result, the students end up taking food that is low in vegetables, fibre, fruits, and calcium, thus, becoming obese, developing dental problems, and cancers (Sztainer et al., 14). Parents should not be left to imagine or guess what is right for their children, but should also be involved in the implementation of the right related policies if at all success is to be attained in schools. The government should also come up with more programs to help poor families that are not in a position to give the right diet to their children. It is apparent that success in school is not just about studying well, but other important factors play a major role too. Sleeping sufficiently and getting the right diet are ways to make sure that students succeed in their academic life. Moreover, feeding of students in schools should be advocated for because physically weak students are unlikely to perform well (Kubik et al., 1168-1173). Therefore, it is important for both teachers and parents to join in action and enhance the success of their children. It is obvious that having sufficient sleep and consumption of the right diet is imperative in ensuring that students perform well in school. However, with changes in lifestyles and the busy schedules among students and their parents, it has become inevitable for students to have amnesia and poor eating habits. Research has revealed that insufficient sleep and poor diet results to poor performance among students, as well as ailments such as diabetes and obesity. In that case, there is a need for teachers, parents, the government and the entire society to advocate for beneficial programs in schools that will support healthy lifestyles among the students. Moreover, there is a need for more research on the topic to get more information on the ways in which consuming the right diet and having sufficient sleep can help students perform well. Works Cited Lareau, Annette. Home Advantage: Social Class and Parental Intervention in Elementary Education. New York: Rowman & Littlefield, 2000. Sztainer, Dianne, French, Simone, Hannan, Peter, Story, Mary and Fulkerson, Jayne, School Lunch and Snacking Patterns among High School Students: Associations with School Food Environment and Policies. The International Journal of Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity. 2(2005): 14 Edlin, Gordon and Golanty, Eric. Health and Wellness. New Jersey: Jones & Bartlett Publishers, 2012. Gibson, Edward, Powles Peter and Thabane, Lehana. Sleepiness is Serious in Adolescence: two Surveys of 3235 Canadian Students. Pubmed Central, 6(2006):116. Jiunn, Kang and Shih, Chen. Effects of an Irregular Bedtime Schedule on Sleep Quality, Daytime Sleepiness, and Fatigue among University Students in Taiwan. BMC Public Health, 9(2009): 248 Howard, Taras. Nutrition and Student Performance at School. Journal of School Health, 75.6 (2005): 199- 213 Carter, Jill, Peterson, Karen, Wiecha, Jean and Nobrega, Suzanne. Planet Health: an Interdisciplinary Curriculum for Teaching Middle School Nutrition and Physical Activity. New York: Human Kinetics, 2007. Martha, Kubik., Leslie, PhD., Leslie, Lytle and Peter, Hannan. The Association of the School Food Environment with Dietary Behaviours of Young Adolescents. American Journal of Public Health, 93.7(2003): 1168-1173 Chen, Mei, Wang, Edward and Jeng, Yi-Jong. Adequate Sleep among Adolescents is Positively Associated with Health Status and Health Related Behaviours. BMC Public Health, 6(2005): 59-65. Read More