For this assignment, I have watched a TED Talk video in which Wendy Troxel explains the impact of the lack of sleep on teenagers. The author argues that the role of sleep is significantly underrated, which leads to many issues with health, both physical and mental (Troxel, 2016). I agree with this fact, as I have experienced the adverse effects caused by the lack of sleep myself. I regularly observe these effects in my classmates, which leaves me no doubt that this is indeed an epidemic, as Troxel stated in her TED Talk.
The effects of sleep deprivation are well-studied, however, they are often ignored by the majority during schedule planning. Shattuck et al. (2019) state that the lack of sleep leads to “adverse health outcomes, including weight gain and obesity, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and stroke, depression, and increased risk of death” (p. 205). Chronic sleep deprivation increases the chances for severe mental issues, including dementia and Alzheimer’s’s disease (Bobić et al., 2016). and During the exams, sleep is always hard to come by for me. Due to the stress, I often find myself studying past my regular bedtime, sleeping for about 5 hours a day. While the effects of this behavior harmed my performance, I was unable to prevent myself from doing so.
If I had to define sleep without referencing other sources, I would say that it is a state of unconsciousness during which an organism restores its energy reserves over time. For humans, a complete sleep cycle improves cognitive abilities, decreases chances to develop conditions that plague modern society, lowers the occurrence of mental health disorders, and alleviates logistical issues. A full night’s sleep plays a crucial role in human development, and it is necessary for educational facilities to review their approach to schedule planning.
References
Bobić, T., Šečić, A., Zavoreo, I., Matijević, V., Filipović, B., Kolak, Z., Kes, V., Ciliga, D., & Sajković, D. (2016). The impact of sleep deprivation on the brain. Acta Clinica Croatica, 55, 469-473. Web.
Shattuck, N. L., Matsangas, P., Mysliwiec, V., & Creamer, J. L. (2019). The role of sleep in human performance and well-being. Human Performance Optimization, 200-233. Web.
Troxel, W. (2016). Transcript of “Why school should start later for teens”. TED: Ideas worth spreading. Web.