THE CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF SLEEP DEPRIVATION AMONG STUDENTS

THE CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF SLEEP DEPRIVATION AMONG STUDENTS

Did you wake up this morning feeling more tired than you did when you went to bed? If so, something is disturbing your sleep. However, do you know what it is? This problem is nothing new and yet more and more students suffer from sleep deprivation, which is a lack of sleep that effectively refresh the body, both physically and psychologically. Stress, unbalance diet, and interactive electronics could be the causes to sleep deprivation. These factors can result into mental illness, academic performance can be badly affected and could lead to the risk of getting obesity.
One of the main causes of sleep deprivation is stress. Students always burn the midnight oil to finish the assignment as every lecturer on campus gives an assignment on the same week (Smith, 2010). The involvement in volunteer work and social activities pack their schedules (Smith, 2010). Besides that, the dominant factor of potential stressor is family (Brecht, n.d., p.21). Kinjal (2010) states that parental fight has significant impact on their children such as violent conversations and use of unpleasant language in front of their children. Children get a big stress from high expectations by their parents (Pejakovic, 2012). For instance, parents want their children to succeed in every field (Pejakovic, 2012).
Diet can also cause sleep deprivation. Practicing a balanced diet is crucial to overall health and sleep because your body is still working while asleep. Your body not only requires the healthy nutrients which is rich in fruits and vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains, but also have to avoid fried foods and sugars (Morris, 2011). In addition, foods should be consumed four hours before bed time to overcome sleep disturbance and disorder (LC, 2008). When examination is around the corner, students always drink caffeine which are found in coffee, tea, chocolate, cola, and energy drinks. This is because one caffeine can boost up our body but sometimes it beyond our need which can contribute to poor sleep (Morris, 2011).
Electronic devices are often overlooked as a sleep deprivation cause. Czeisler (n.d., as cited in Tarkan, 2011) says that electronic devices are enticing students to stay up late. Students tend to answer their phones or reply to a text in the middle of the night (Gustafson, 2009). According to Gradisar (n.d.), a co-author of the study, interactive electronic devices are more attentive and disrupt the sleep cycle (Tarkan, 2011). Moreover, the release of the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin is suppressed by artificial light from the computer screen (Tarkan, 2011).
Studies have been conducted, surveys have been taken, and it has been discussed in the news for years that there are a lot of consequences of sleep deprivation. One of them is sleep deprivation causes mental illness in students. Students get annoyed for every nonsensical reason when they do not get proper sleep (“Sleep deprivation effects”, n.d.). For example, they get angry easily without any reason at their friends. This aggressive nature can ruin a friendship, so they feel more depressed (“Sleep deprivation effects”, n.d.). Furthermore, it can also lead to certain psychological problems (Dixon, 2008). Tsang (2008) has found that short sleepers develop anger, anxiety and worry. Inadequate sleep also dealing with further complications that could make your life desolate and endanger your well-being (Dixon, 2008).

Another effect of sleep deprivation is that it can affect a student’s academic performance in school. Mental fatigue which result from sleep deprivation leads to poor decision making and weaken problem solving skills (Dixon, 2008). Short sleepers will decrease their recall ability which is affecting everything from muscle to memory retention as sleep is one of the body’s most vital processes (Smith, 2010). Kelly, Kelly and Clanton (2001) indicate that the decreased ability to focus on education-related activities are responsible for the lower grade-point averages of short sleepers. In fact, many skills hidden in students are affected such as learning skills and cognitive behavior (“Sleep deprivation effects”, n.d.).
Short sleepers are more likely to gain excess weight and become obese. According to a study by the University of Chicago, sleep deprivation decrease body’s sensitivity to insulin (“Sleep more, live”, 2012, p.34). Therefore, it makes your body gain more weight quickly (Rodolfo, 2011). The predominant reason behind gaining weight is that the hormonal levels in the body that control appetite fluctuate follows from lack of sleep (“Sleep deprivation effects”, n.d.). Obesity, which increases the odds of developing sleep apnea or heartburn and associated digestive problems, is due to not eating properly (Morris, 2011).
Having a good night’s sleep is an essential requirement for nearly all parts of students’ life. Lack of a good night’s sleep can increase the risks of becoming mentally ill, affect academic performances, and put students at a risk for obesity. These are due to stress experienced by students, unbalanced diet, and interactive electronics that students often overlook.