Synthesis Essay

The average person is faced with thousands of issues every single day, and often they are recognized and handled, but other times there are some that are overlooked. Sleep debt, an issue that many do not even know exist, and yet are plagued by on it an everyday basis. When you skip a night of full rest, is it possible to catch up? Most people will simply attempt to return to a normal schedule, but yet they cannot shake the feeling of lethargy. This issue is the subject of many studies and investigations, such as William C. Dement and Christopher Vaughan’s paper, “Sleep Debt and the Mortgaged Mind,” June J. Pilcher and Amy S. Walters’ article, “How Sleep Debt Hurts College Students,” and Matthew Ashton’s, “A Greater College Debt.” Sleep debt is a massive problem; this idea is easily introduced in William C. Dement and Christopher Vaughan’s paper, “Sleep Debt and the Mortgaged Mind,” with the explanation of the true cause of the Valdez incident, a catastrophe in which an shipping vessel loaded with oil was run aground, spilling its cargo throughout the waters. The article goes into explanation that the original verdict of the cause of the catastrophe was the captain’s intoxication, but it is later explained that this was not necessarily the case. Instead, the documented cause was the sleep debt of the third mate, who had slept a miniscule amount in the previous 48 hours. In the article Dement and Vaughan asserted that, “people need to sleep one hour for every two hours awake,” and furthering this statement, they state that sleep debt accrues sequentially night after night, and as long as it remains unpaid, it will continue to stack up (500). With this lack of sleep, eventually functioning becomes nearly impossible. The article from Dement and Vaughan successfully outlines many of the dangers of sleep debt. However, much of the evidence is said to “believed,” leading to the conclusion that much of the study’s results are consistent, but ultimately could be inconclusive (501). A majority of the information is targeted to the education of sleep debt to the masses, and to ensure that the importance of it is not understated. The author does go into detail to further explain the exponential increase of sleep debt when paired with intoxication, calling the mixture “fatal fatigue,” again stressing the importance of education (504). Striving to do satisfactory or better at a task is the ideal outcome for most, but no matter how prepared one may be, sleep debt can hamper any chances of success. In Pilcher and Walters’ article, “How Sleep Debt Hurts College Students,” it is show that even losing minimal amounts of sleep can have a catastrophic effect on one’s performance. The studies performed by Pilcher and Walters nearly conclusively proved several theories. While many of the researchers’ hypothesis were proved wrong, the study showed that sleep deprived students did significantly worse on several tasks. However, contrary to the pre-established hypothesis, the sleep deprived students rated their performance much higher than the non-sleep deprived students, thus showing, that even if someone feels competent in their abilities, “many college students are unknowingly sabotaging their own performance by choosing to deprive themselves of sleep,” (520). With the results of the study, it appears fairly conclusive that sleep debt is a massive issue for not only college students, but essentially anyone who is required to retain and process mass amounts of data. A massive issue that appears completely unaddressed by the experiment is the effect of sleep debt over an extended period of time. While adequately testing the effects over a night, the large scale implications over weeks, or months, are unavailable. However, the importance of sleep becomes easily identifiable upon the conclusion of the experiment. The debts of the average person often include money, labor, and even sleep. In Matthew Ashton’s essay, “A Greater College Debt,” the importance of a healthy night’s sleep is heavily outlined. Without a full night’s sleep, it can be nearly impossible to function in the morning, and also throughout the day. If one has racked up a massive sleep debt, it is an issue that can only be remedied with repayment hour per hour, often in the form of more sleep per night. The average college student’s life is a full one, filled with all-nighters and small cat naps in between classes, but without preparedness for this looming issue, sleep deprivation, many more problems will arise. From emotional issues, to lowered grades, everyday essential tasks become cumbersome. Many college students even recognize the problems that manifest themselves after a lack of sleep, but most choose to ignore them. Those that have been informed of this problem may attempt to change their habits, and the students will attempt to restructure their schedules. Although the question arises, is it possible to reclaim the massive amounts of sleep that many tend to lose, and is there even enough hours in the day to accomplish everything that is necessary to maintain a healthy life. Even though many are aware of their erroneous behaviors, to some it may simply be a habit that is nearly impossible to break, thus, leading to deeper and deeper issues. In all three articles, it becomes instantly apparent of the problems that can manifest themselves should a proper sleep not be obtained. From real world issues, to laboratory tests, and even relevant anecdotes to college students, there is no understatement of the importance of refraining from accruing a sleep debt. The subject of all the essays makes it clear that sleep is a manageable problem that can be avoided if proper precautions are taken. Without proper rest, peoples’ emotions become erratic, their cognitive abilities are severely hampered, and their social abilities become nearly nonexistent. In all situations, it appears that a lack of sleep is always problematic. Without sleep, the body simply doesn’t function as it should, and in the excerpts from Dement and Vaughn, Pilcher and Walters, and Ashton, the absolute necessity of this is heavily stated. Throughout each article, the importance of education on this issue is stressed. The fact of the matter is, put simply, no amount of circumvention will avoid the necessity of sleep, and one will always accrue this debt should their optimal sleep time not be met. The body requires a set amount of sleep every night, and from the studies, the side effects are almost always, nearly, the same.