Students all across the globe struggle with an exhausting list of things like focusing in class, procrastinating on homework and balancing their home life with their school life. A larger problem, however, does not have anything to do with school at all or even being awake for that matter. The largest threat to the student population is sleep deprivation.
Sleep deprivation–or an insufficient amount of sleep over an extended period of time–is a condition which affects over one-third of Americans. Sleep is an essential part of one’s physical and psychological health, supporting the function of all systems in the body. Constant lack of such sleep without recovery is referred to as “sleep debt.” Individuals aged 13 through 18 are advised to receive eight to 10 hours of sleep every single night. Each hour of sleep lost will need to be made up later in order to restore one’s full alertness, so losing one hour of sleep each night will add up to seven hours of sleep debt, two hours lost would equal 14 hours of sleep debt, and so forth.
Loss of sleep is stressful on the body because sleep is vital to the function of the cardiovascular and immune system. Without a suitable amount of sleep, people are at risk of diabetes, heart disease and irregular blood pressure. Physiological effects on the brain include the inability to control emotions, pay attention and even memory (which can contribute to Alzheimer’s Disease in extreme cases). A significant loss of sleep can also prove detrimental to someone’s mental health, causing an alarming increase in anxiety and depressive disorders.
As sleep debt builds, the quality and general state of the body and mind will slowly deteriorate. This is not a permanent problem, however, as the debt can be “paid” with sleep. The assumption could be made that one can catch up on their lost sleep on the weekends, but this would be false. It can actually take up to four days to recover from just one hour of debt. Negative side effects will still linger even long after one gets over eight hours of shut-eye in one night. Since a lack of rest slows down metabolism, people who rely on weekends to catch up on their sleep face a higher risk of weight gain, excess calorie intake, and reduced energy expenditure. In order to eliminate sleep debt for good, one must adopt healthy sleeping habits. Helpful nightly steps to implement include getting up at the same time every day, limiting electronic use before bed, and keeping the bedroom cool and dark. During the day, it is helpful to avoid caffeine and have a regular set schedule to support the body’s circadian rhythm, or the internal clock that regulates alertness throughout the day based on light changes.
Not getting enough sleep is perhaps the easiest way to stay susceptible to disease, and mental and physical ruin. However, this also signifies that sleeping is the easiest thing one can do for one’s health.
