In our discussion group, we talked about sleep deprivation. I knew that I, along with many of my classmates, have not been getting enough sleep, but I had no clue how sleep deprived many of us are. On the quiz that we took in class, I responded with 8 trues (pretty average in the class), and 3 trues was considered sleep deprived. This was a reality check for me. I realized while sometimes I may not be able to control how much sleep I am able to get, many times, I am very much in control of this. In an article, published by Science Daily, they talk about how web surfing, texting, gaming, and too much caffeine are keeping teenagers awake during the night. (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090724214602.htm)
Out of the 100 middle and high school students studies, only 20% are getting the recommended 8 hours of sleep each night. "Many adolescents used multiple forms of technology late into the night and concurrently consumed caffeinated beverages," said Calamaro. "Their ability to stay alert and fully functional throughout the day was impaired by excessive daytime sleepiness."
All in all, I think that we, as a school, need to emphasize the importance of sleep. According to our textbook, "people deprived of multiple nights of sleep, or who cut back drastically on sleep, often experience depression, difficulties in learning new information and paying attention, and slowed reaction times" (Lilienfeld 168).
Leave a comment