Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Teenagers - Report Example

Effects of sleep deprivation on teenagers Sleeping activity is extremely vital for the overall wellbeing of an individual. It is during sleeping that the body and brain recovers and most of the cellular repairing activity takes places. A good undisturbed sleep is very crucial to ensure that the body is ready to handle stress and other forms of pressure the next day. Everyone requires a substantial amount of sleep to function optimally however developing children require more sleep since they are very much active during the day and require the same activeness everyday for holistic development. Teenage is one of the most active stages in life. Teenagers, today indulge in a wide array of activities which may stretch well into the night for example, partying, playing games, online socialising and studying for exams etc. It is recommended that an average teenager needs about 9-9.5 hours of proper sleeps. However, today teenagers barely sleep for the recommended period of time which has negative consequences both on their body functioning and mental health. In fact long term deprivation of sleep may even have serious implications on the health. This has become a matter of concern for parent, educators and researchers who recommend that proper sleep is absolutely essential for both physical and mental growth. In fact there are a number of ill effects that a teenager who is sleep deprived may suffer from. These affects include physical and emotional and well as performance oriented problems. Sleep deprivation and body functions Sleep is the period in which the body rests and recovers from the stress it experienced during the day. The body and all its metabolic processes are accustomed to a particular biological clock which is affected severely by sleep deprivation. Several research studies have focused on the association between lack of sleep and hormonal release in the body. Hormones play an important role in the development of the teenagers; however owing to lack of sleep hormonal release is altered which has negative effects on the body mechanism. Researchers have pointed out that sleep restriction alters metabolic and endocrine systems. Hormones that regulate glucose metabolism have been shown to be influenced by changes in sleep patterns. Young adults who are deprived of sleep show increased glucose tolerance, reduction in insulin sensitivity, enhanced cortisol and ghrelin concentration in the evenings and a loss of appetite (Leprult and Cauter, 2010). The altered regulation in glucose metabolism has not only led to an increase in obesity among teenagers but has also led to an increase in Type II diabetes. Lack of sleep also affects immunity of developing teenagers. Sleep deprivation has been associated with increased lymphocyte activity and enhanced levels of Interleukin-1 and Interleukin-6, the long-term persistence of which has been associated to cardiovascular problems in the future (AlDabal and BaHammam, 2011). Sleep Deprivation and School Performance Middle and High school students are under pressure to perform at school which often leads them to study overnight. Students may also have to keep awake for other activities as well and wake up early in the morning to attend school or college which reduces the amount of sleep. Sleep deprived students are unable to concentrate in class and experience reduced cognitive ability to solve problems or answer questions. A consistent deprivation of sleep impairs acquisition and retrieval of memory and also affects memory and hence teenagers who are sleep deprived often get poor grades (Carskadon, 2011). Sleep reduction may eventually turn into a habit and result in high irritability, lower concentration, sleepiness in class, distractibility, lack of motivation and elevated inattention (Carskadon, 2011). Lack of sleep and Judgmental errors Improper sleep impairs an individual’s ability to estimate and interpret events. One of the most important events is that of vehicles. Young adults often engage in driving and lack of sleep has an effect on their driving and enhances chances of car crash owing to fatigue and sleepiness. Matiniuk et al conducted a cohort study on young adults and adolescents in Australia who indulged in only about 6 hours of sleep each day (Matiniuk et al, 2011). The researchers reported that teenagers who slept for 6 hours or less reported more number of vehicles mishaps compared to the control group who had sufficient amount of sleep thereby establishing the fact that less sleep per night increased chances of road crashes. This creates a threat to the lives of not only teenager but for other individuals on the road as well. Teenagers are unable to judge the ill-effects of sleep deprivation and continue to keep awake late into the night. Sleep and mental health The overall well being of an individual includes the mental well being as well and this mental wellness is dependent very much on the amount of sleep that an individual gets. Research studies have established that lack of sleep can causes mild to severe implication on the mental health of an individual. Depression is one of the most important implications of lack of sleep especially among teenagers. Teenagers who do not get enough sleep lose interest and suffer from depression which affects other activities as well. Other mental problems may also surface owing to lack of sleep. Researchers have established that long term sleep deprivation gives rise to mental problems that share common symptoms to schizophrenia. Some studies have shown that deprivation of sleep also leads to an increase in suicidal tendencies as well. This is mostly because lack of sleep impairs both cognitive and moral judgements and hence even on the slightest instances sleep deprived individuals contemplate suicide without understanding the reasons or the consequences of the event. Another important result in sleep deprived individuals is development of false memories i.e. memories of events that never occurred in real life. Such memories often trigger young adolescents to behave in abnormal ways which may end in dire consequences. Sleep and Criminal Behaviour Some psychologists blame lack of sleep for adolescent delinquency and criminal like behaviour. Self control and moral judgement stands impaired in individuals who do not get adequate amount of sleep at night. Sleep deprived adolescents engage in crimes such as theft, smuggling etc. Sleep deprivation also leads to substance use which stimulates the body and helps teenagers to keep awake and perform. However such form of substance abuse is detrimental in the long run. Teenagers use stimulants containing caffeine and nicotine which may later hamper the health of the individual. Conclusion Sleep is required for proper functioning of every system of the body. Deprivations leads to serious problems such as ill-health sleep disorders and both behavioural and mental health. It is very crucial to understand that sleep is not a waste of time but is in fact important to keep one physically and mentally stable to handle everyday work and activity. Teenagers need to be made aware of the importance of sleep for their own well-being and indulge in therapies to negate the ill-effects of sleep deprivation in young adolescents. REFERENCES AlDabal, L. And BaHammam, A.S. “Metabolic, Endocrine, and Immune Consequences of Sleep Deprivation.”The Open Respiratory Medical journal, 5 (2011): 31-43. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3132857/ on 27 Nov, 2014. Carskadon,A. “Sleeps effects on cognition and learning in adolescence.” Progress in Brain Research, 190 (2011): 137-143. Leproult, R. and Cauter, E.V. “Role of Sleep and Sleep Loss in Hormonal Release and Metabolism.” Endo Dev 17 (2010): 11-21. Matinuik,A.L., et al.” Sleep-deprived young drivers and the risk for crash: the DRIVE . prospective cohort study.” JAMA Paediatric, 167.7 (2013): 647-655 Read More