Irma Romero
Staff Reporter
Sleep deprivation increases teenagers' chances of suffering from low grades, depression, anxiety, lack of concentration, suicidal thoughts, and attempts.
Most people have also encountered how sleep deprivation can affect mood, causing irritation and excessive emotional reactions. Over time, the consequences can be even more significant for teens who adapt more to independence, responsibility, and new social relationships.
Homework can harm both students' physical and mental health as it has been related back to a lack of sleep. According to Med.stanford.edu, fifty-six percent of students recognized homework as a primary source of stress. Too much homework can produce a lack of sleep, headaches, and exhaustion.
Homework stresses teenagers out; there is no way around this fact. The mixture of heavy homework loads and early school start times is a significant cause of sleep deprivation and continuous stress.
According to Drcraigcanapari.com, 'with up to 90% of teenagers not getting enough sleep on school nights. 'Sleep deprivation appears most common in teenagers who are aiming to get into competitive colleges. There are piles on top of various extracurricular activities on top of homework– sports, clubs, music lessons, and teen caretakers.
Teenagers tend to stay up late and feel like sleeping in the morning. According to fairview.org, 'Body chemicals in teens work to make the teen naturally want to go to bed around midnight or later.' We tend to stay up late because of our environments, such as television, the Internet, and gaming. The brightness of light from our phones and other devices signals the brain to stay awake.
As stated in Sleepfoundation.org, 'not only does this [blue] light [similar to sunlight] make us more alert, it also deceives the body into thinking it's still daytime.' Also stated in Sleepfoundation.org, 'in response, the body produces less melatonin, interfering with the body's natural sleep-wake cycle. The longer you spend on your screen, the greater the consequences for your sleep.' Bright screen lights adapt our eyes to get used to seeing the brightness for all devices.
Oftentimes, teens can have trouble avoiding homework or screens, but an effort should be made to minimize the effects of either. This way, teens can see an improvement in their lives.
Sleep is a necessary bodily function for everyone. Yet, for teens especially, it is the body's time to restore the damage of the day, improve hormones, strengthen memory, and regain energy so they can wake up and do it every day.
Image Credit: Rawhide Youth Services
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