Factors Influencing Students Academic Performance

Review of Related Literature

A. Unhealthy sleep habits Not sleeping enough and not sleeping well is not OK. As a matter of fact, there is quite a price to pay. It may surprise you to learn that chronic sleep deprivation, for whatever reason, significantly affects your health, performance, safety, and pocketbook. There are many causes of sleep deprivation. The stresses of daily life may intrude upon our ability to sleep well, or perhaps we trade sleep for more work or play. We may have medical or mental-health conditions that disrupt our sleep, and be well aware that we are sleep-deprived.
However, it is critically important to realize that sleep deprivation is very often due to unrecognized sleep disorders. After a typical night's sleep, you may not feel restored and refreshed and be sleepy during the day, but be totally unaware that you are sleep-deprived or have a sleep disorder. You might think, "It's just the stress of work or the kids," or you might have "always felt this way" and had no idea that you should feel differently. This lack of awareness compounds the consequences, because so many people remain undiagnosed for years. Here are some overview of sleep problems: Snoring, Parasomnias(sleepwalking, nightmares), Insomnia, narcolepsy(disorder that affects the control of sleep and wakefulness), and sleep-related eating disorder (Michael J. Breus.MD, n.d)

In January 2013(Kristina Klassen) stresses that students need to have enough REM sleep. “Without enough REM sleep, you will die within a year” she said. Social pressures such as partying, staying up late, and taking in substances like drugs or alcohol represses students’ sleep and makes learning and remembering class and lectures extremely hard. It takes 48 hours to process information, and with those obstacles in the way, learning at school is almost impossible.
(Randy Ware,2013) encourages his students to create regular sleeping patterns. Students’ health is also a factor with less sleep. Sleep deprivation can interfere with student weight gain, a deficient immune system, and constantly feeling tired which makes school harder. With energy drinks, pills, and high sugary foods and drinks added with very little sleep, a student’s health is quickly affected. A full night of sleep is the body’s way of restoring itself.

B. Mechanisms of sleep

Many of us try to sleep as little as possible—or feel like we have should. There are so many things that seem more interesting or important than getting a few more hours of sleep, but just as exercise and nutrition are essential for optimal health and happiness, so is sleep. The quality of your sleep directly affects the quality of your waking life, including your mental sharpness, productivity, emotional balance, creativity, physical vitality, and even your weight. No other activity delivers so many benefits with so little effort! Sleep isn’t exactly a time when your body and brain shut off. While you rest, your brain stays busy, overseeing a wide variety of biological maintenance that keeps your body running in top condition, preparing you for the day ahead. Without enough hours of restorative sleep, you won’t be able to work, learn, create, and communicate at a level even close to your true potential. Regularly skimp on “service” and you’re headed for a major mental and physical breakdown.
The good news is that you don't have to choose between health and productivity. As you start getting the sleep you need, your energy and efficiency will go up. In fact, you're likely to find that you actually get more done during the day than when you were skimping on shuteye. (Smith et al., 2013)