Category: Sleep Deprivation

The similarities and differences between primary and secondary literature will be thoroughly compared in this essay through a secondary review article and primary research article both exploring the impacts of chronic sleep deprivation on the human brain. The topic falls under the discipline of neuropsychology as it examines changes in behaviour and cognitive ability as a result of chronic sleep deprivation.

The review article, ‘The sleep-deprived human brain’ synthesises existing knowledge of the consequences of sleep loss on the human brain. Neuropsychology encompasses the studies of changes in cognitive and emotional capacity in relation to brain disorders, and neuroscience involves the study of the nervous system. Both disciplines are identifiable in the article as it revolves around the brain, the vital organ of the central nervous system and effects regions of the brain associated with sleep deprivation, which causes changes in cognitive and emotional processing. It details a variety of impacts to our daily functioning, including attention, memory and decision-making, caused by respective changes in activity of specific regions of the brain. One of which is the prefrontal cortex (PFC), the region of the brain responsible for higher-order cognitive processes including judgement. Referencing a range of first-hand studies, the article explains that a sleep-deprived person experiences changes in the activity of the PFC and are likely to engage in risk-taking behaviour and impulsivity as they become less able to compare the high cost that comes with high reward. (Krause, et al., 2017) The extensive use of neurological terms makes the review mainly targeted towards scientists with a good neuroscientific background and are interested in current research of the consequences of sleep deprivation. This includes neurologists or sleep researchers to aid in clinical settings or inspire their own research into the topic. Although this review article contains simpler sentences in the abstract and a glossary to assist readers, it would still be difficult for an average person to comprehend.

This article is published in Nature Reviews Neuroscience, a peer-review journal specialising in the discipline of neuroscience. It solely publishes reviews in this area, associated with “understanding the structure and function of the central nervous system” and any relevant research to the brain and its impact on movement, cognitive behaviour, language or brain disorders. The journal targets all scientists specialising or interested in neuroscience internationally, serving as a platform that allows efficient communication of knowledge all over the world. (Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 2019)

The primary research paper ‘Impaired decision making following 49 h of sleep deprivation’ covers the experiments conducted on sleep-deprived participants undertaking the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), a task that simulates real-world decision making. This research is significant to neuropsychology by providing evidence to support theories of the different regions of the brain responsible for certain behavioural changes and the factors that may affect it. This experiment focuses on how sleep deprivation affects the functioning of the PFC, which influences decision-making. The research aimed to investigate the effect of sleep loss on the quality of judgement and risk-taking, hypothesising that two nights of sleep loss would result in impaired decision-making and increased risk-taking behaviour, and would also align with the results of brain-injured patients in the prefrontal lobes. (Killgore, et al.,2006)

The results showed that after 49.5 hours of sleep deprivation, participants would gradually engage in riskier actions as they prioritised short-term high gains, with extremely high losses, eventually leading to a net debt. Whereas when well-rested, would gradually prioritise safer, short term low gains, leading to a net gain. This demonstrated that sleep loss affected the ability of participants to weigh the benefit of short-term reward against long term punishment, proving that sleep deprivation impairs decision making and increases risk-taking behaviour. Further, the trend of sleep-deprived participants was similar to that of the brain-injured participants, suggesting that sleep deprivation could heavily impact the functioning of the PFC. Therefore, the experiment was able to determine a correlation between sleep deprivation and impaired judgement as well as the connection between sleep deprivation and the PFC, proving the adverse implications of chronic sleep deprivation on our actions and behaviour. (Killgore, et al.,2006)

The primary article is one of many research papers referenced in the review to summarise the main impacts of sleep loss on the human brain. The IGT was one experiment used as evidence supporting the theory of limited perception of reward or punishment value following sleep deprivation. The results surrounding participants’ impaired judgement were explicitly mentioned, helping to validate the information presented in the review. However, the findings of the correlation to regions of the PFC were not mentioned, with the review referencing other experiments with greater detail into the more specific regions responsible for changes in decision-making. Thus, the primary article had a small but important contribution towards ensuring the academic quality and reliability of the review’s theory.

Both articles increased my awareness of the consequences of sleep deprivation and the effect it would have on my daily life, primarily influencing my concentration, judgement and ability to think. As I tend to sleep late every day, it was definitely an eye opener towards the damage that could occur from my unhealthy lifestyle choices. Although both articles include neurological jargon that made it difficult to understand, the review article was structured clearly with subheadings naming each consequence on behaviour and the research article had clearly stated the key points of their experiment in the introduction. This made it easier to identify the main points of the articles and gain a better general understanding of the topic overall.

Whilst secondary literature summarises findings from a variety of primary research to provide a general overview of the topic, primary literature details a scientist’s experiments focussing on a specific detail of the topic. This was explored in the essay as the review article provided a summary of the implications of sleep deprivation on cognitive and emotional processing, whereas the research article centred around only the effect of sleep loss on decision-making. Both types of literature work hand-in-hand to prompt further research into the area or create awareness into the neurological processes and implications of sleep deprivation. Thus, scientific literature is an important method of communication between scientists to share and improve knowledge and understanding of science and the world.

Introduction

Elite level athletes have tremendous amounts of stress and pressure to endure, for the sake of performing at peak levels time after time. Sleep loss, might be caused by a busy schedule, travelling, etc. leads to increased anxiety and fatigue which in turn decreases performance (Souissi et al., 2013). According to Fullagar et al., (2015) sleep plays a crucial part to normal cognitive and physiological functioning and homeostasis of human beings. Sleep deprivation can alter this homeostasis process and decrease alertness. Sleep deprivation can be categorized into partial and total sleep deprivation. A sleep deprived person will have trouble staying awake during their regular circadian rhythm. In total sleep deprivation, the person gets no sleep at all. This is more likely to occur in acute situations such as staying awake for 24 hours. In partial sleep deprivation, the person’s sleep is disrupted or reduced due to but not limited to, stimulants, sleep disorders or lifestyle (Weinger & Ancoli-Israel, 2002). In an article by Souissi and colleagues, (2013), they looked at judo athletes and the effects of partial SD (sleep deprivation) on maximal strength and anerobic power. Moreover, in two different studies, one done by Mamiya, Kubota, Morii, & Goto, (2016), looked at the effects of partial SD on muscular strength and physiological responses of seven male athletes. The second article by Coyle, Casner, & Kornguth, (2018) looks at the influences of specifically 36 hours of SD on physical and cognitive performance. For this review, the focus will be only on the physical performances. Similarly, in an article by Taheri, & Arabameri, (2012) looked at 18 randomly selected participants who were told to stay awake throughout the day and night. They were then to measure the effects of mean and peak power and anerobic performance. The similarity of these articles focusses on SD, either partial or total, and its effect/influence on power and anerobic performance in the means of a Wingate test.

Methods

Taheri, & Arabameri, (2012) took 18 randomly selected male individuals who exercised regularly and put them through a SD protocol. First, they gathered baseline results with normal sleep patterns, then they instructed the participants to stay awake all day and night. Instead of sleeping at 23:00 hours, they remained awake till 7:00-8:00 when they had an isocaloric breakfast. From there they did numerous tests, one being the Wingate test. This test was 30 seconds of all out cycling of a resistance load calculated by this formula, 0.090 kg x.kg-1 body mass. In the article by Souissi et al., (2013) they took 12 experienced judo athletes and administered two types of partial SD and measured anerobic performance. First gathering a baseline where they slept from 22:30 -6:00, then taking 4 hours at the beginning or 4 hours at the end of the night. The judo athletes who were SD in the beginning came into the lab at 22:00 hours and not allowed to sleep until 3:00 hours where they could then sleep to 6:00 hours. The athletes who were SD in the end came into the lab at 22:00 hours and slept at 23:00 hours. They were then awoken at 2:00 and remained awake till 6:00 hours. This study also measured anerobic performance via Wingate test which consisted of 30 seconds of all out cycling at a load of 0.087 kg x.kg-1 body mass. A study looking at partial SD effects on muscular strength, they took seven active males and tested their VO2 and muscular strength via 90 min treadmill run at 75% of their VO2 Max, followed by 100 drop jumps from a box of 40inches. The control group slept from 23:00 to 7:00 hours and the studied group had their sleep reduced by 60%. The maximal strength was tested by knee flexion and extension during 20 min submaximal running. They also had time to exhaustion tested, running at 85% of their VO2 max (Mamiya et al., 2016). The article by Coyle and colleagues, looked at SD effects on physical performance of 27 men and women from a U.S. military academy. Day 1 consisted of normal sleep, day 2 consisted of staying awake for the entirety of the day for a total of 36 hours. After the 36 hours, they measured the peak oxygen consumption while cycling via VO2 peak test (2018).

Results

The four articles mentioned, all concluded to similar findings. According to Mamiya et al., (2016), the effects of a single night of partial SD did not hinder maximal strength or VO2. They did find that the time to exhaustion was decreased significantly after partial SD. In addition to these findings, in the article by Coyle et al. (2018), their results concluded, being awake for 36 hours has little effect on aerobic performance and maximal neuromuscular power. However, in the article it was stated a decrease in peak heart rate did appear. In Souissi et al., (2013) study, looking at judo athletes, they found partial SD at the beginning of the night had no effect on anerobic power and partial SD at the end of the night (i.e. Waking up earlier) showed a possible reduction in short term performance only when tested in the afternoon, not in the morning. The results from Taheri, & Arabameri’s study consisted of the mean peak power, and anerobic performance from a Wingate test, both concluding to be unaffected by one night of loss of sleep (2012).

Future Research

Although these articles provided a clear answer as to how sleep effects performance in terms of maximal muscular power and anerobic performance, they are specific and do not allow for generalization to a greater population. Taheri, & Arabameri stated their findings may show greater effects on those who chronically restrict their sleep, referring to majority of the adult population (2012). Future research on the effects of sleep deprivation and physical performance should be targeting college athletes in various sports. Targeting this population will help pin point if sleep deprivation does effect performance, ways and steps to minimize sleep deprivation and possible figure out the cause of sleep deprivation in that population. This population would be good to further research because high level college athletes who plan to further their career in sports, should not held back by limiting factors such as a lack of sleep due to overload of courses/practice. This may be a two-part study to figure out first if these athletes’ performance is affected by sleep deprivation and second, factors/influences leading to a lack of sleep.

When it comes to school, especially college, every student has their own problems. Stress, living costs, food, etc. are always in the back of their minds. If we talk about the topic of college, culture, and health, there is no way that we can ignore the most common issue that all of the students have; it is sleep deprivation or the lack of sleep. Sleep deprivation happens to everyone and at the ages of teens or older. However, sleep deprivation is so common in student’s life that at least once in a semester, a student would have to pull an all-nighter to either study for tests or to catch up with homework. The higher the educational level, the more sleep hours will be sacrificed. Not to mention, many considered homeless students also worry about a place to sleep which then leads to the lack of sleep.

Whenever we think about school, students’ faces would look like life has been sucked out of their bodies. Everybody knows that once school starts, their sleeping schedules would be changed again and again. I, personally, would feel very lucky if I get to take an hour nap after school. Some students would rather use up their napping opportunities to finish some work, turns out they make their body even more tired and barely have any work done. At a quick glance, sleep deprivation seems to be an easy problem that can be fixed with just a quality sleeping schedule. It is a true fact, however, not everyone is able to manage on 8 hours’ sleep every night.

Sleep is essential to our life in general, and to students specifically. It keeps our body function normally; it also helps to boost up our immune system. Five hours of sleep or more are recommended to maintain a healthy body. Poor quality sleep has not only a strong effect on students’ bodies but also the brain. For instance, short and long term memory will decrease, moodier, low concentration, drowsiness (which can cause accidents while driving), etc. The effect might not happen immediately, but it will leave a long-term effect as it goes. Lack of sleep is not something new in students’ life, but that does not mean that we can underestimate it and endure it in the long run.

Looking through the San Jose State school page, Wellness & Health Promotion – Sleep Program does provide some tips to have a better sleeping time and information about how important is sleep to students’ physical and mental healths. According to SJSU Sleep Program, it suggests “the students get off electronics before bed, create a sleeping schedule and a sleeping friendly environment to help to improve their sleep” (2019). These tips are helpful for people who try to make their sleep quality better but they do not really help students how to organize their schedule for a better biological clock. On the other hand, college students have such a bad habit; they usually procrastinate and wait until the last minutes to start on the assignments. Only if students would plan ahead of time, control their schedule tightly then it is not impossible to improve their sleep quality. But not everyone is the same because some have to work to support themselves or even the family, or they are having a mental illness that keeps them from having a good sleep. I think it would be better if the school create an event or raise awareness of sleep deprivation.

As can be seen, I think that school should encourage the students to create a healthy sleeping habit. Just like the sexual assault or drinking orientations that every student has to take before they start going to college, sleep should be somewhat important as those orientations for a healthier culture and students’ lifestyles. As a result, sleep deprivation should not be taken lightly due to its serious damages to students’ mental health and also their critical thinking. With this in mind, the school should help students by creating a program or service to accompany students throughout their educational journey.

Whether you are a parent of a teenager, or are a teen yourself you have most likely struggled with getting your kid up for school or have found yourself falling asleep in class. Many if not most high school and elementary school students struggle to get out of bed in the morning for school. This has sparked a discussion on whether school times should be pushed later. Some people have a theory that teens are just lazy and don’t want to get up but it has nothing to do with laziness or lack of ambition. Adolescents naturally stay up later and get up later because of how their bodies release melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep. Several studies show that teens cannot get out of this melatonin-induced sleep mode until at least 8:00 a.m. making later school start times desirable. Having early school start times has many drawbacks. Teenagers with early start times are put more at risk for mental health issues than kids that start later. The physical well being of these students have been put at risk as well. Lastly the academic performance of these kids is worse than those who have late start times. The academic performance of these children are declining all because of something they can’t control. This problem will increasingly get worse in the long run for the teens if we don’t stop it soon enough.

Mental health is at the top of the list for concerns. Teenagers with school starting times before 8:30 a.m. may be at risk of certain health problems due to compromised sleep quality, according to a recent URMC study. Specifically in teenagers depression, anxiety and fatigue are the most common psychological outcomes of obtaining less sleep. Teens are recommended 8-9 hours of sleep per night. Although, there are a number of external factors that affect this including homework, extracurricular activities, after school jobs, technology use and having to be up at early hours of the morning. These factors have lessened sleep quality and length. A 2014 survey of 9,089 high school students found that teens reporting less than 8 hours of sleep had significantly more symptoms of depression than their peers getting more than 8 hours. Many adolescents that suffer from depression may also suffer from things like insomnia (problems falling asleep) or hypersomnia (excessive sleepiness during the day). Some might be asking for solutions to these problems. The only answers are eliminating all those external factors that stop teens from going to bed early. The other option is changing school start times till after 8:30 a.m. Doing this will allow students to get the right amount of sleep and will decrease the likelihood of them developing mental illnesses.

Early school start times do not just affect mental ability. They also have an impact on physical health. Sleep deprivation increases the risk for diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure. Many research studies have linked obesity to sleep deprivation in children and adults. A lack of sleep can disrupt the balance of hormones that control appetite. Sleep deprivation can also decrease motivation and energy, which reduces a teen’s motivation to exercise. Researchers believe that a lack of sleep alters hormone levels and puts additional stress on the body. Early school start times may contribute to diabetes and obesity in several ways. When teens get up very early for school and do not go to bed until late at night, they may eat more than they would if they got an adequate amount of sleep. Additionally, tired students may reach for foods high in sugar or caffeine, hoping that they will get a temporary boost. This puts them at risk for serious health problems.

It is clear that sleep deprivation has a significant effect on academic performance. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine says that a lack of sleep impacts performance by reducing concentration, creating attention deficits, increasing distractibility, impairing decision-making skills and causing forgetfulness. AASM also says that sleep-deprived people are more prone to errors. These effects can have a serious impact on test scores and on the grades students receive on class projects and papers. Trying to educate teenagers too early in the morning is now good. Even if lectures and activities are stimulating, the urge to sleep still reduces alertness and understanding. In 1998, Amy Wolfson and Mary Carskadon surveyed more than 3,000 high school students. They found that those who reported poor grades (C, D or F) reported getting 25 fewer minutes of sleep than the students who reported getting A’s and B’s. The poor performers also went to bed approximately 40 minutes later than the students who reported getting good grades. When compared with students attending schools with earlier start times, the students reported getting higher grades. They also had fewer depressive feelings, got more sleep on school nights and had less daytime sleepiness.

On average, schools in Canada start at 8:30 a.m. but some schools in our region such as Silver Stream start at 8:05 a.m. and others such as in the United States even start at 7:30. Even though this may not seem like a big difference, it actually is, and even the Center for Disease and Prevention (CDC) is concerned about kids that go to schools that start early. Furthermore, physicians recommend teens to get at least 8.5 to 9.5 hours of sleep each night. Schools should start later because they can improve students sleep quality, academic performance, and keep students safe.

First of all, students sleep. An important part of everyone’s health is how much they sleep every day. On average, 80% of schools start before 8 a.m., and many students that go to these schools face sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation is the condition of not having enough sleep. Many people these days are suffering from sleep deprivation. The reason why many students are facing sleep deprivation, is because of natural shifts in biological changes which cause students to have a tendency of falling asleep later at night, resulting in later waking times. Students need around 9.5 hours of sleep each day to get enough sleep, ensure health and brain development, and also optimal performance. For those who have less than 7 hours of sleep each night, they often report that they get tired throughout the day. Getting this little sleep each night can affect emotional or behavioural problems. For example, irritability, depression, and also violence. Studies have shown that subjects that only had around 4.5 hours of sleep a night for one week were more stressed, sad, or angry, but when the subjects returned to their normal sleep times, their moods had improved dramatically. Therefore, early schools start times definitely affect students sleep each and every day.

Early schools starting times not only affect students sleep, but also affect students academic performance. Young teens spend a great portion of each day in school but are not able to maximize the learning opportunities given by schools, unfortunately, this is due to sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation students to be drowsy, unalert, and makes it harder for them to pay attention too. Furthermore, studies have proven that students test scores, and overall grades go up if they get an adequate amount of sleep each day. Even the lowest performing students make the biggest progress in their education due to enough sleep every day. The reason why students perform better in school after an adequate amount of sleep, is because when people are well rested they have enhanced attention, learning becomes easier for them, they will have better problem-solving skills, and they also will have improved recall.

Academics are very important to all students futures, whether they want a good job or not, but sadly, many students have a lack of education due to early school starting times. Ultimately, many things can affect our safety, for example, reflexes, or maybe decision making, but many of us are probably wondering, how are reflexes or decision making related to schools starting times? Well, research has proven that students who get less than 8 hours of sleep at night (which is the minimum requirement), are two-thirds more likely to get injured than those who get at least 8 hours of sleep. Further, twenty percent and above of these injuries required a trip to the hospital or emergency room, which means that they were probably pretty serious. If these schools had started later, then fewer people would have a less chance of being hurt or injured. The reason why many people are more clumsy, and having bad reflexes is because of sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation can impair the ability to be alert, which greatly affects how we think, process, and react. Furthermore, adequate sleep can help students be more alert during the day, which also contributes to their safety. As you can see, if schools did start later, so many students around the world would have had better, and safer lives.

Even though later schools start times have already been put in place, so many other schools around the world still start early. Later school start times can benefit sleep, grades, and also prevent injuries or accidents. If schools had actually started later a few years ago, there would be fewer injuries inflicted upon children, and better grades for everyone. Even though later schools start times may affect the schedule of our communities, it is still better for children and their families. Schools should start later, and experts should work together to delay school start times once and for all.

Across the United States, 93% of high schools start at or before 8:30 a.m. Of these, there are schools that start at or before 7:30 a.m., causing these students to wake up even earlier to get ready, eat breakfast and arrive at school on time. According to the CDC (Center for Disease & Control), early school start times are the most important contributor to sleep deprivation among high school age groups. Many parents, administrators and health officials are calling for schools to start later, however, there are many teachers opposed to this change. A group of teachers from Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland, one of the largest school districts in the country, have voiced their opposition to all proposals of pushing back start times, represented in a survey by the teacher’s union (Dana Hedgpeth and Julie Zauzmer). These survey results were highlighted in The Washington Post, stating that “Nearly half of the district’s 12,000 teachers responded to the survey, and 63% favored not changing high school bell times”. While science seems to argue the opposite, it is important to consider the perspective of our educators as they are pillars in our education system. However, I believe there are enough positive impacts that later start times have on students overall health and academic achievement to consider this change. In fact, many surveys and research have shown that later start times improve overall health, align better with teenagers’ natural sleep cycles and increase students’ overall attendance.

According to The National Sleep Foundation, teenagers in middle school and high school require 8 to 9 and half hours of sleep each night. However, research has shown that most teenagers average fewer than 7 hours of sleep on school nights. As a result, I believe there is a direct correlation between early school start times and the effects of sleep deprivation. The impact of sleep deprivation in students results in their inability to stay awake and learn at school, as well as contributing to drowsy driving, irritability and sometimes, violence. A 2018 study published in the journal Science Advances found that when the start time of school was pushed back, students were able to increase the amount of sleep they got by a half hour to a full hour. The study ultimately concluded that, “Given the widespread negative effects sleep deprivation has on adolescent physical and mental health, our study points to the value of a measure such as delaying the school start time toward improving teenage sleep”. This survey, including countless others, makes it clear that students need more sleep for their mental and physical health, and academic learning. The positive impact of additional sleep will decrease the effects of sleep deprivation, including daytime drowsiness and increasing their ability to be alert while in a learning environment. Ultimately, moving back start times will improve students overall health.

It is also clear that the quality of sleep, and when students sleep, is just as important as the quantity of sleep. Teenagers’ natural sleep cycles tend to track to later bedtimes as they are busy with, after school activists, work and homework. As found in a recent study, most teenagers fall asleep around 11 p.m. or later, because the change in their internal clocks make them feel awake at night, even though they are really exhausted. Ensuring a teenager goes to bed earlier to achieve the recommended hours of sleep per night does not only affect their natural sleep cycle, but it is also realistically impossible. This is further explained by Mary A. Carskadon, MD, Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University, who stated that “Even without the pressure of biological changes (natural sleep cycles), if we combine an early school starting time–say 7:30 a.m., with a modest commute, makes 6:15 a.m. a viable rising time–with our knowledge that optimal sleep needs is 9 1/4 hours, we are asking that 16-year olds go to bed at 9 p.m.”. With it being a simple math equation accounting for bedtime, sleep time, rising time and school time, many schools across the country are now working to synchronize school clocks with students’ natural sleep cycles. This enables school-aged teenagers to be their most alert hours and achieve their full academic potential. On the contrary, when teens are not in school during their most alert hours it impacts their ability to pay attention, and at worst, fall behind. Additionally, CDC has outlined that “During puberty, adolescents become sleepy later at night and need to sleep later in the morning as a result in shifts in biological rhythms”. As such, it is important for schools to consider a later start time that accounts for natural sleep cycles, respectfully allowing teenagers the best chance for long term success.

Finally, with later start times improving students’ overall health and ability to learn, research also points to an increase in attendance and a decrease in absences when school times are pushed back (Kelly and Evans). The positive correlation of later school times with improved attendance was found in a 4-year observational study conducted at a state funded high school. While very few studies have used start times later than 9:00 a.m., this 4-year study published in Frontiers Human Neuroscience in 2017, used a starting time of 10 a.m. As a result of later start times, the number of absences dropped significantly from 15.4 to 11.3 when the start time was changed to 10 a.m. During the second year, the number of absences dropped even further from an average of 11.3 absences to 7.9 or a decrease of 48% in average absences in just 2 years (Kelly and Evans). In the study’s this year of observation, the start time went back to 8:50 a.m., and as such, the average number of absences rebounded to 11.2, well above the level in the previous year. This landmark study reinforces the positive correlation and possible causation of start times with school absences. Whether the later start time allowed for students to get more sleep, or it aligned better with the natural sleep cycles, it signals that students were able to make it to school on time. The long term impact of a students health, and their ability to attend school during mental alert hours, is critical to a generations academic success and impact their educators will have during this pivotal period in time.

Conclusion

In conclusion, there is a tremendous amount of research that reinforces moving start times back would benefit students’ overall health and academic performance. While it may not be the most convenient option for parents and teachers schedules, it is clear the health and academic benefits to students outweigh any inconvenience it might cause. Additionally, there is significant research that underlines the associated and long-term health risks of sleep deprivation. With later school start times, our education system has an opportunity to improve not only the health of students today, but in the future. Additionally, we have an opportunity to make a positive impact on their academic success by giving them every opportunity to excel. Unfortunately, with 93% of our school systems starting before 8:30 a.m., we have a lot of opportunity for change and improvement.

Whether you are a parent of a teenager, or are a teen yourself you have most likely struggled with getting your kid up for school or have found yourself falling asleep in class. Many if not most high school and elementary school students struggle to get out of bed in the morning for school. This has sparked a discussion on whether school times should be pushed later. Some people have a theory that teens are just lazy and don’t want to get up but it has nothing to do with laziness or lack of ambition. Adolescents naturally stay up later and get up later because of how their bodies release melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep. Several studies show that teens cannot get out of this melatonin-induced sleep mode until at least 8:00 a.m. making later school start times desirable. Having early school start times has many drawbacks. Teenagers with early start times are put more at risk for mental health issues than kids that start later. The physical well being of these students have been put at risk as well. Lastly the academic performance of these kids is worse than those who have late start times. The academic performance of these children are declining all because of something they can’t control. This problem will increasingly get worse in the long run for the teens if we don’t stop it soon enough.

Mental health is at the top of the list for concerns. Teenagers with school starting times before 8:30 a.m. may be at risk of certain health problems due to compromised sleep quality, according to a recent URMC study. Specifically in teenagers depression, anxiety and fatigue are the most common psychological outcomes of obtaining less sleep. Teens are recommended 8-9 hours of sleep per night. Although, there are a number of external factors that affect this including homework, extracurricular activities, after school jobs, technology use and having to be up at early hours of the morning. These factors have lessened sleep quality and length. A 2014 survey of 9,089 high school students found that teens reporting less than 8 hours of sleep had significantly more symptoms of depression than their peers getting more than 8 hours. Many adolescents that suffer from depression may also suffer from things like insomnia (problems falling asleep) or hypersomnia (excessive sleepiness during the day). Some might be asking for solutions to these problems. The only answers are eliminating all those external factors that stop teens from going to bed early. The other option is changing school start times till after 8:30 a.m. Doing this will allow students to get the right amount of sleep and will decrease the likelihood of them developing mental illnesses.

Early school start times do not just affect mental ability. They also have an impact on physical health. Sleep deprivation increases the risk for diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure. Many research studies have linked obesity to sleep deprivation in children and adults. A lack of sleep can disrupt the balance of hormones that control appetite. Sleep deprivation can also decrease motivation and energy, which reduces a teen’s motivation to exercise. Researchers believe that a lack of sleep alters hormone levels and puts additional stress on the body. Early school start times may contribute to diabetes and obesity in several ways. When teens get up very early for school and do not go to bed until late at night, they may eat more than they would if they got an adequate amount of sleep. Additionally, tired students may reach for foods high in sugar or caffeine, hoping that they will get a temporary boost. This puts them at risk for serious health problems.

It is clear that sleep deprivation has a significant effect on academic performance. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine says that a lack of sleep impacts performance by reducing concentration, creating attention deficits, increasing distractibility, impairing decision-making skills and causing forgetfulness. AASM also says that sleep-deprived people are more prone to errors. These effects can have a serious impact on test scores and on the grades students receive on class projects and papers. Trying to educate teenagers too early in the morning is now good. Even if lectures and activities are stimulating, the urge to sleep still reduces alertness and understanding. In 1998, Amy Wolfson and Mary Carskadon surveyed more than 3,000 high school students. They found that those who reported poor grades (C, D or F) reported getting 25 fewer minutes of sleep than the students who reported getting A’s and B’s. The poor performers also went to bed approximately 40 minutes later than the students who reported getting good grades. When compared with students attending schools with earlier start times, the students reported getting higher grades. They also had fewer depressive feelings, got more sleep on school nights and had less daytime sleepiness.

On average, schools in Canada start at 8:30 a.m. but some schools in our region such as Silver Stream start at 8:05 a.m. and others such as in the United States even start at 7:30. Even though this may not seem like a big difference, it actually is, and even the Center for Disease and Prevention (CDC) is concerned about kids that go to schools that start early. Furthermore, physicians recommend teens to get at least 8.5 to 9.5 hours of sleep each night. Schools should start later because they can improve students sleep quality, academic performance, and keep students safe.

First of all, students sleep. An important part of everyone’s health is how much they sleep every day. On average, 80% of schools start before 8 a.m., and many students that go to these schools face sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation is the condition of not having enough sleep. Many people these days are suffering from sleep deprivation. The reason why many students are facing sleep deprivation, is because of natural shifts in biological changes which cause students to have a tendency of falling asleep later at night, resulting in later waking times. Students need around 9.5 hours of sleep each day to get enough sleep, ensure health and brain development, and also optimal performance. For those who have less than 7 hours of sleep each night, they often report that they get tired throughout the day. Getting this little sleep each night can affect emotional or behavioural problems. For example, irritability, depression, and also violence. Studies have shown that subjects that only had around 4.5 hours of sleep a night for one week were more stressed, sad, or angry, but when the subjects returned to their normal sleep times, their moods had improved dramatically. Therefore, early schools start times definitely affect students sleep each and every day.

Early schools starting times not only affect students sleep, but also affect students academic performance. Young teens spend a great portion of each day in school but are not able to maximize the learning opportunities given by schools, unfortunately, this is due to sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation students to be drowsy, unalert, and makes it harder for them to pay attention too. Furthermore, studies have proven that students test scores, and overall grades go up if they get an adequate amount of sleep each day. Even the lowest performing students make the biggest progress in their education due to enough sleep every day. The reason why students perform better in school after an adequate amount of sleep, is because when people are well rested they have enhanced attention, learning becomes easier for them, they will have better problem-solving skills, and they also will have improved recall.

Academics are very important to all students futures, whether they want a good job or not, but sadly, many students have a lack of education due to early school starting times. Ultimately, many things can affect our safety, for example, reflexes, or maybe decision making, but many of us are probably wondering, how are reflexes or decision making related to schools starting times? Well, research has proven that students who get less than 8 hours of sleep at night (which is the minimum requirement), are two-thirds more likely to get injured than those who get at least 8 hours of sleep. Further, twenty percent and above of these injuries required a trip to the hospital or emergency room, which means that they were probably pretty serious. If these schools had started later, then fewer people would have a less chance of being hurt or injured. The reason why many people are more clumsy, and having bad reflexes is because of sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation can impair the ability to be alert, which greatly affects how we think, process, and react. Furthermore, adequate sleep can help students be more alert during the day, which also contributes to their safety. As you can see, if schools did start later, so many students around the world would have had better, and safer lives.

Even though later schools start times have already been put in place, so many other schools around the world still start early. Later school start times can benefit sleep, grades, and also prevent injuries or accidents. If schools had actually started later a few years ago, there would be fewer injuries inflicted upon children, and better grades for everyone. Even though later schools start times may affect the schedule of our communities, it is still better for children and their families. Schools should start later, and experts should work together to delay school start times once and for all.

Across the United States, 93% of high schools start at or before 8:30 a.m. Of these, there are schools that start at or before 7:30 a.m., causing these students to wake up even earlier to get ready, eat breakfast and arrive at school on time. According to the CDC (Center for Disease & Control), early school start times are the most important contributor to sleep deprivation among high school age groups. Many parents, administrators and health officials are calling for schools to start later, however, there are many teachers opposed to this change. A group of teachers from Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland, one of the largest school districts in the country, have voiced their opposition to all proposals of pushing back start times, represented in a survey by the teacher’s union (Dana Hedgpeth and Julie Zauzmer). These survey results were highlighted in The Washington Post, stating that “Nearly half of the district’s 12,000 teachers responded to the survey, and 63% favored not changing high school bell times”. While science seems to argue the opposite, it is important to consider the perspective of our educators as they are pillars in our education system. However, I believe there are enough positive impacts that later start times have on students overall health and academic achievement to consider this change. In fact, many surveys and research have shown that later start times improve overall health, align better with teenagers’ natural sleep cycles and increase students’ overall attendance.

According to The National Sleep Foundation, teenagers in middle school and high school require 8 to 9 and half hours of sleep each night. However, research has shown that most teenagers average fewer than 7 hours of sleep on school nights. As a result, I believe there is a direct correlation between early school start times and the effects of sleep deprivation. The impact of sleep deprivation in students results in their inability to stay awake and learn at school, as well as contributing to drowsy driving, irritability and sometimes, violence. A 2018 study published in the journal Science Advances found that when the start time of school was pushed back, students were able to increase the amount of sleep they got by a half hour to a full hour. The study ultimately concluded that, “Given the widespread negative effects sleep deprivation has on adolescent physical and mental health, our study points to the value of a measure such as delaying the school start time toward improving teenage sleep”. This survey, including countless others, makes it clear that students need more sleep for their mental and physical health, and academic learning. The positive impact of additional sleep will decrease the effects of sleep deprivation, including daytime drowsiness and increasing their ability to be alert while in a learning environment. Ultimately, moving back start times will improve students overall health.

It is also clear that the quality of sleep, and when students sleep, is just as important as the quantity of sleep. Teenagers’ natural sleep cycles tend to track to later bedtimes as they are busy with, after school activists, work and homework. As found in a recent study, most teenagers fall asleep around 11 p.m. or later, because the change in their internal clocks make them feel awake at night, even though they are really exhausted. Ensuring a teenager goes to bed earlier to achieve the recommended hours of sleep per night does not only affect their natural sleep cycle, but it is also realistically impossible. This is further explained by Mary A. Carskadon, MD, Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University, who stated that “Even without the pressure of biological changes (natural sleep cycles), if we combine an early school starting time–say 7:30 a.m., with a modest commute, makes 6:15 a.m. a viable rising time–with our knowledge that optimal sleep needs is 9 1/4 hours, we are asking that 16-year olds go to bed at 9 p.m.”. With it being a simple math equation accounting for bedtime, sleep time, rising time and school time, many schools across the country are now working to synchronize school clocks with students’ natural sleep cycles. This enables school-aged teenagers to be their most alert hours and achieve their full academic potential. On the contrary, when teens are not in school during their most alert hours it impacts their ability to pay attention, and at worst, fall behind. Additionally, CDC has outlined that “During puberty, adolescents become sleepy later at night and need to sleep later in the morning as a result in shifts in biological rhythms”. As such, it is important for schools to consider a later start time that accounts for natural sleep cycles, respectfully allowing teenagers the best chance for long term success.

Finally, with later start times improving students’ overall health and ability to learn, research also points to an increase in attendance and a decrease in absences when school times are pushed back (Kelly and Evans). The positive correlation of later school times with improved attendance was found in a 4-year observational study conducted at a state funded high school. While very few studies have used start times later than 9:00 a.m., this 4-year study published in Frontiers Human Neuroscience in 2017, used a starting time of 10 a.m. As a result of later start times, the number of absences dropped significantly from 15.4 to 11.3 when the start time was changed to 10 a.m. During the second year, the number of absences dropped even further from an average of 11.3 absences to 7.9 or a decrease of 48% in average absences in just 2 years (Kelly and Evans). In the study’s this year of observation, the start time went back to 8:50 a.m., and as such, the average number of absences rebounded to 11.2, well above the level in the previous year. This landmark study reinforces the positive correlation and possible causation of start times with school absences. Whether the later start time allowed for students to get more sleep, or it aligned better with the natural sleep cycles, it signals that students were able to make it to school on time. The long term impact of a students health, and their ability to attend school during mental alert hours, is critical to a generations academic success and impact their educators will have during this pivotal period in time.

Conclusion

In conclusion, there is a tremendous amount of research that reinforces moving start times back would benefit students’ overall health and academic performance. While it may not be the most convenient option for parents and teachers schedules, it is clear the health and academic benefits to students outweigh any inconvenience it might cause. Additionally, there is significant research that underlines the associated and long-term health risks of sleep deprivation. With later school start times, our education system has an opportunity to improve not only the health of students today, but in the future. Additionally, we have an opportunity to make a positive impact on their academic success by giving them every opportunity to excel. Unfortunately, with 93% of our school systems starting before 8:30 a.m., we have a lot of opportunity for change and improvement.

Introduction

People have been taking the concept of sleeping as a formality. They believe that after failing to sleep for a couple of days, it is possible to compensate for those days by spending equal number of days sleeping. For me, these assumptions were changed after the experience I went through following a sleepless night. This was after being attacked by thugs. It was around nine o’clock in the evening as I was preparing my evening meals. Suddenly I heard a bang on the door. At first, it did not seem to come from my house so I continued with my cooking. As I was about to serve the food, I heard someone order me to lie down. On turning to see who it was, I felt something heavy land on my head. I fell down unconscious. After duration of approximately half an hour, I regained my consciousness only to find my house almost empty. They had carried roughly everything from my house. As I had been perplexed, I did not take a step of reporting the matter to the police neither did I inform my neighbors. I tried to sleep but I could not. It was hard for me to come in terms with what had happened. Whenever I tried sleeping, I could see this person attacking me and this kept me waking up (Sleepdex, 2009, Par. 3-5).

Main Body

The following day I could barely work or participate in discussions at workplace. I was overwhelmed by sleeping and could find myself occasionally lying on the table for a nap. The whole day my mood was not one of the best. I could get incensed for very trivial reasons. It reached a time when I almost quarrel my boss for asking me to forward the previous day’s work. It is usual for us to hand in previous day’s work as the first thing once we get to the office. On this particular day, I got to the office and forgot to forward my work. The whole day I did not feel motivated to participate in anything in the office. My spirit was very low. It was easy for my contemporaries to notice as my spirit at workplace is always high. I spent the whole day feeling depressed wishing for the working hours to elapse as fast as possible for me to go and sleep. This day, the boss had given us an assignment that required group discussion. I could barely participate in the discussion. It was hard for me to follow what was being presented by colleagues who contributed to the discussion. I was exhausted to an extent that I felt excessively sleepy. I could feel woozy only to wake up and recognize that I had fallen asleep for a couple of minutes. This made me keep on asking them to repeat what they had discussed on as I was not concentrating. It reached to a point that they decided to leave me out of the discussion. No one was willing to answer any question that originated from me. That day my performance and alertness was very poor. This was unusual as my colleagues expected me to contribute most to the discussion. Having noted that I was not contributing, they decided to hear my opinion. They could not believe that the opinions I gave came from me. All that I gave was out of the topic of discussion. As I was restless, I kept walking out of the discussion room. This added to my inability of following the discussion.

Most of the experiences I went through coincides with the ones given in the text. For instance, I felt sleepy the whole of the following day as well as irritated for no reason. I could fall asleep after every few minutes to be wakened by the noise of my colleagues as they discussed. My performance at work also was very poor that particular day. I did not participate in the discussion with most of my time being spent in either sleeping or walking in and out of the discussion room.

Some of the effects of long-term sleep deprivation include suffering from eye problems. The eyes get affected to an degree that one has to ware glasses to be able to drive or read. They regularly blackout for some period which could be dangerous especially when one is driving. One feels as if blood is not circulating around his or her head. One becomes weak such that it is hard to support him or herself when standing. People have to support themselves using walking sticks or walls when standing. Sleep deficiency also affects one’s eating habits. One feels hungry after successive short intervals of time and failure to consume something might make one fall sick. Continued lack of sleep could eventually lead to death. As one continues lacking sleep his or her immune system becomes weakened to an extent that it is hard for it to fight any disease that may strike. The count of white blood cells within one’s body decreases. The remaining white blood cells become weak such that they can not overcome any illness (Ledoux, 2008, Par. 1-5).

Conclusion

One of the common sleeping disorders is insomnia. This is the inability of a person to fall asleep or to remain asleep. This disorder can be prolonged or one that occurs frequently. It may result from stress or change of environment. For temporal insomnia, one does not have to seek medication. If it is being caused by outside factors, the problem ceases the moment these factors are streamlined. For permanent insomnia, there is need for one to seek medical advice. Some of the drugs used include Ambien and Lunesta which help one in getting enough sleep. As insomnia leads to depression, there are some antidepressants drugs such as trazodone which are used to treat nervousness and sleeplessness resulting from depression (Web Md, 2009, Par. 4).

Reference

Ledoux, S. (2008). The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Brain and Behavior. Web.

Sleepdex. (2009). Sleep deprivation. Web.

Web Md. (2009). Drugs to Treat Insomnia. Web.