Everyone needs to sleep because it helps maintain healthy physiological functions. Sleep is crucial for students because it allows the body to recover from the day's activities, balance their hormones, consolidate memories and learning experiences, and replenish energy reserves in preparation for the following day.
When students are tired, they often struggle with their studies. They might also experience mood swings or anxiety. This makes them less productive and less able to concentrate. While it's true that everyone experiences stress from time to time, too much stress can negatively affect academic performance.
Are you tired of waking up early every morning to prepare for school? If yes, then you should continue reading this article as it contains some interesting information about the importance of sleep.
Importance of Sleep for Students
Both the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the National Sleep Foundation stress the need for adolescents to get between 8 and 10 hours of sleep nightly. Because of changes in their circadian cycle, most teens have trouble falling asleep before 11 p.m.; thus, they average significantly less sleep than is advised.
Everyday regulatory activities, including emotional and behavioral regulation, rely on adequate sleep. A good night's sleep is essential to the repair and revitalization of both our physical and mental selves. Among the many advantages of getting enough shut-eye are:
• Fixing broken synapses
• Enhancing one's capacity for self-regulation, sound judgment, and satisfying relationships
• Enhancing the capacity to take in new knowledge and retain it in long-term memory
How the Lack of Adequate Sleep Affects Students
Sleep and health are directly linked. The stress hormones, adrenaline, and cortisol are raised due to inadequate sleep. The difficulty of falling asleep, brought on by stress hormones, makes it much more challenging to catch up on sleep. Mental stress piles on top of physical stress brought on by things like social pressures, academic standards, overly packed schedules, and the looming weight of adulthood responsibilities.
Because sleep is so important, not getting enough of it can negatively affect your cognition, mood, and ability to retain new information when you're up and alert. Hallucinations and mood swings are two of the most acute effects of sleep deprivation.
Potential repercussions include:
• Problems paying attention
• Restlessness
• Problems in interacting with others
• Lack of self-control
• Inability to focus
• Anger
• Hyperactivity
• Trouble juggling many tasks
• Disrupted recall
• Difficulty calculating numbers
Researchers at AAA found that 328,000 car accidents annually in the United States may be attributed to drivers who were too tired to operate their vehicles safely. The risk of an accident occurring in drivers who get fewer than five hours of sleep each night is much more than five times higher than that of drivers who get seven hours of sleep or more.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that being awake for 18 straight hours is equivalent to having a BAC of 0.05%. To exceed the permissible limit of 0.08%, a BAC of 0.10 % is reached after 24 hours of continuous wakefulness.
How Can Parents Assist Teenagers to Sleep Better?
Parents may help their adolescent children improve their sleep habits by following these steps.
• If teenagers have too much going on outside of school, parents must help them to prioritize and create a plan that allows for enough sleep.
• Teens should be encouraged to take a 30-45 minute "power nap" after school to minimize daytime sleepiness.
• Teenagers can learn whether or not they are experiencing sleep issues by conversing with their parents about their teen's daily routine and sleeping habits.
Connect with NexTech High School
Healthy sleep habits or hygiene are critical to a restful night's sleep. The best way to prevent the need for late-night study sessions is to stay ahead of your assignments and study without being distracted or putting things off. Teachers are responsible for raising awareness amongst their students and their families about the need to get enough sleep.
Call 616-458-4992 to contact us or learn more about what's happening at NexTech High School.