Janaki Patel

Advisor: Dr.Whitney Roban

3/16/18

The Effect of Deprivation of Sleep on Adolescent Executive Functioning

The average person can survive more than three weeks without food, but only around ten Commented [1]: intro

days without sleep. (Gillin 1) In the modern world, adolescents tend to participate in many

oppressive activities, which do not allow for a full night’s sleep. This in turn disrupts their

circadian sleep cycle, which is a series of mental, physical, and behavioral changes that follow a

daily pattern. The word “circadian” means to occur in a twenty-four hour cycle. A disruption of

one’s circadian sleep cycle can lead to exhaustion. Although they are just beginning their journey

into adulthood, adolescents are increasingly exposed to many competitive environments,

including the stress of school, allowing them to experience the effects of sleep deprivation too

early in their life. (Rogers 1) The symptoms reflect an imbalance between the demands of

education, sports, extracurriculars, the rapid change in growth and development of these

adolescents and the healthy sleep requirements that these teenagers need. Accordingly, they need

more sleep than adults, yet these demands often cause them to sleep less. (Sleep in Adolescents

1) The symptoms of fatigue and sleepiness are so similar that many are unable to differentiate the

between the two. Sleepiness can only be solved by sleeping, while fatigue does not automatically

lead to the need for sleep. Fatigue consists of exhaustion from exposure to a demanding task for

a considerable amount of time, and can be rectified by stopping the task and doing something

more relaxing. Deprivation of sleep can lead to fatigue while performing demanding tasks. Sleep

deprivation in adolescents leads to decreased motivation causing a decline in grades, poor mental

and physical health, impaired motor control, and delayed reaction time.
 Sleep deprivation is caused by demanding tasks such as homework, physical exercise,

and more. Sleep deprivation has become too prevalent in the adolescent years, which is generally

the period during and after puberty, from ages thirteen to eighteen. Teenagers need more sleep

especially because they are in the stage of fast emotional, physical, and intellectual growth.

(“Teens and Sleep” 1) The recommended amount of sleep for teenagers is about eight to ten

hours per night for them to function best. A 2007 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey found

that 68.9 percent of respondents reported insufficient sleep on a school night. (“Insufficient

Sleep” 1) A large scale study published in The Journal of Adolescent Health in 2010 showed that

“a scant 8% of US high school students get the recommended amount of sleep. Some 23% get

six hours of sleep on an average school night and 10% get only 5 hours.” (Garey et al. 1) The

teenage years are very stressful, and meeting the minimum hours of sleep is crucial to managing

stress and maintaining good health. Teenagers tend to sleep later in the night, around 10 and 11

pm, which is due to a shift in their circadian rhythms. (Teens and Sleep 1) This means that it will

be harder for teenagers to fall asleep earlier. If teens sleep later, they will have a hard time

catching up on their sleep, and their body’s clocks will be thrown off even more. Sleep

deprivation can have an effect on the executive functioning, which are a set of skills that help get

things done, of adolescents. Executive function is controlled by a structure of the brain called the

frontal lobe. The frontal lobe regulates activities such as managing time and paying attention. A

reduction in regulation due to sleep deprivation can reduce the effectiveness of the frontal lobe.

For example, sleep deprived people have difficulties thinking of imaginative words or ideas,

instead choosing repetitious words and phrases. (Harrison and Horne 1)

Lack of energy due to sleep deprivation leads to increased resistance against further Commented [2]: cntrl 1

effort, and lack of motivation to produce the best work. Symptoms of sleep deprivation, such as
drowsiness, lead to difficulty with concentration on a certain task, leading to lower quality and

less efficient work overall. (“Fatigue” 1). As constant work on a task fatigues the mental and

physical processes, the productivity of the person and the efficiency of the work decreases. The

unwillingness and lack of motivation causes students to force their way through a certain task,

intent on completing it rather than doing it well.

Sleep deprivation can lead to a decline in grades, as it becomes more difficult to

concentrate in a classroom, and lack of motivation is prevalent. (“Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Special” 1). The time of day that students take tests is an important factor on grades. A study

using test scores of all children attending Danish schools from the year 2009/10 to 2012/13

found that for every hour later in the day, test scores decreased by 0.9% of a SD (Sievertsen,

Hans Henrik, et al. 1). Over the course of a school day, students’ mental resources were taxed

and as a result, were more likely to underperform on a test. Sleep deprivation causes the capacity

to process information to be reduced, and therefore it is not optimal. When learning information

during the day at a less than optimal state, the brain will not retain it while sleeping. A Harvard

study discovered that the brain continues to learn after you fall asleep, which is when “it

consolidates information and works through processes or steps you have learned the day before"

(Lack of Sleep 1). If the proper information is not stored in the brain during school, it will be

unable to process it at night while sleeping. The brain stores all the information into long term

memory from short term memory while sleeping.

Sleep deprivation leads to lack of motivation, promoting laziness and inability to meet

deadlines. (Gruber 1) In a study dedicated to finding the effect of fatigue on executive processes,

fatigued participants and non fatigue participants were both provided a task to complete. The

willingness “to exert effort on the experimental tasks and to do one’s best on these tasks, as
measured directly after the manipulation, was significantly lower for the fatigued participants

than for the non-fatigued participants" (Van D et al. 1). Drowsiness and inability to maintain

concentration leads to procrastination and inability to meet deadlines. Tasks are not performed

with optimal energy, which leads to poor quality work, especially if it is done in a rush due to

procrastination.

Performing assignments with the lowest quality work consequently produce lower

grades. A survey by the National Sleep Foundation discovered that “60% of high school students

suffered from extreme daytime fatigue which caused them to regularly fall asleep in class. They

attributed this to the average of 6.5 hours of sleep that the students we getting.” Dr. Avi Sadeh, a

lecturer at the University of Tel Aviv in Israel, conducted a study dedicated to finding out just

how much sleep deprivation affected academic performance. The results showed that “a loss of

one hour of sleep is equivalent to [the loss of] two years of cognitive maturation and

development.” This means that a sleepy sixth grader will perform academically closer to a fourth

grader. (“Lack of Sleep” 1). This consequently produces lower grades due to the lack of attention

towards what is being taught. Sleep is extremely important for the developing minds of

adolescents and can affect the academic performance of these students.

Lower quality work can affect grades in school, as the focus on efficiency is depleted. As

more homework is given throughout the school year, the student’s interest veers away from the

class and the material that is being taught, instead focusing on completing the immense workload

that is given. Multiple late or half-finished assignments due to sleepiness and the inability to

perform optimally can lead to a decline in grades. Health problems are also another cause of

declining grades. Sleep deprivation weakens the immune system, and increases susceptibility for

sickness. As sickness causes students to miss school, material will be missed and therefore
students will perform poorly. According to a study done on 882 freshmen, “hours of sleep per

school night were significantly positively associated with GPA and level of motivation” (“Poor

Sleep” 1).

Sleep deprivation leads to a decline in overall health, as physical and mental exhaustion

cause adolescents to become more susceptible to sickness. This exhaustion can contribute to the

overall weakness of the body’s functions, as the immune system becomes more vulnerable to

attack from diseases and infections. The immune system is weakened because the body’s

inability to rest has made it unable to function optimally.

As students attend school, the workload they are given can cause them to not meet the

minimum hours of sleep required for a good night’s rest. International surveys all over the world

show that sleepiness, stomach pain, backache, and headaches are common. Sleepiness is most

common, as “about a third of both boys and girls have substantial [sleepiness] four or more

times a week” (Viner, Russell, and Christie 1). The lack of sleep reduces “the efficacy of

immune systems and that leaves students vulnerable to all the illnesses they are exposed to at

school. Missed school days also contribute to poor academic performances” (“Lack of Sleep” 1).

As students miss more school days, they miss more curriculum being taught, causing them to fall

behind the other students.

Adolescents become easily tired, and exhibit an inability to perform tasks without

becoming tired faster, both physically and mentally. Lack of regular exercise is a common cause

for consistent tiredness as well. Contrary to popular belief, exercising does not make people

tired, instead having the opposite effect. A study published in the journal Psychotherapy and

Psychosomatics found that “people who consistently complained of [sleepiness] could increase

their level of energy by 20% while decreasing fatigue by as much as 65%, simply by
participating in regular, low-intensity exercise" (Puckett 1). Exercise allows for the mind to be

able to open up and for the blood circulation to provide more energy to the body. High intensity

exercise may cause muscle fatigue, which is why low-intensity exercise is recommended.

Sleep deprivation can cause many health problems, including headaches and pains, and

tiredness. Due to the body’s inability to rest, it is more susceptible to illnesses which cause the

body to be further weakened.

Sleep deprivation can have a major effect on motor control and delayed reaction time.

This can lead to fatal accidents that are completely avoidable.

Many may not realize the drastic effect that drowsy driving can have. It can lead to car

accidents and possibly death. It is not possible to control the body when sleep overcomes it, and

this can have drastic consequences, especially when it comes to driving. According to a National

Sleep Foundation poll, “60% of adult drivers (about 168 million people) say they have driven a

vehicle while feeling drowsy in the past year. Additionally, more than one-third of Americans

(about 103 million people), have actually fallen asleep at the wheel" (Puckett 1). Drowsy drivers

include people who have had long work shifts, or have been driving for a long time. The

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration predicts that drowsy drivers caused 72,000

crashes, 44,000 injuries, and 800 deaths in 2013. “About 1 in 10 car crashes are due to drowsy

driving, and teenagers account for more than half of them. (Wendy 1)

Delayed reaction times is a result of sleep deprivation. This is due to “[sleep deprivation]

affecting some higher central process which is concerned in the maintenance of a close linkage

between the central terminations of the sensory tracts and the so-called voluntary motor centres"

(Milroy, T.H. 1). When there is a close linkage, the body is able to send messages faster and

therefore react faster. According to a 2012 study in JAMA International Medicine, “being sleepy
at the wheel carried almost as much risk as alcohol ingestion.” (Wendy 1) It also had many of the

same symptoms, such as slow reaction time. Sleepiness causes the linkages to be less conductive,

causing the signal to be unable to reach the motor centres fast enough. This causes reaction time

to be affected, causing poor performance in sports and other physical activities. This can also

have an effect on driving, as poor reaction time will cause the driver to be unable to avoid an

accident.

As drowsy drivers sit behind the wheel of their car and fall asleep, they are unable to

concentrate on the roads and can cause car accidents. Delayed reaction time can also have a

major effect on car accidents, as the driver is unable to quickly avoid the accident. Delayed

reactions time can also have an effect on sports.

Sleep deprivation impacts almost every high school student. Understanding the measures

that affect sleep and how to avoid them are essential in leading a healthy life. Make sure to take

breaks while performing rigorous and mentally or physically draining activities. Failure to do so

will lead to to less efficient work as concentration will be lost due to drowsiness. Rest is

important, so make sure to get the most hours of sleep possible. A factor affecting this is

technology use, which can deter the brain from slowing down and being able to fall asleep. The

light from technology excites the neurons, and causes the brain to fight against the mechanism of

sleep. The “blue light” from electronic devices trick the brain into thinking that it is daytime,

slowing down melatonin production which the body needs to feel sleepy. (Roban Interview)

Naps are also an essential part of giving the body and brain a break and to restore energy. Fifteen

minute naps can help by providing more energy to perform work, but a thirty or more minute nap

is not the best solution because it will be harder to fall asleep at night, when the body is wired to

rest. Fatigue and sleepiness have a relation, although they are not the same. The pathologies for
different ages are different, leading to a different approach to cure sleepiness for different ages.

Sleep deprivation is an increasing problem in adolescents, who have not yet even begun to work.

Rest and good health is important for the growing and developing minds of adolescents as they

grow into adults.

Janaki Patel
IR-3
Works Cited

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Wendy M. Troxel | For The Tribune “Commentary: Teens Are Driving Drowsy Every Day and
That's Dangerous.” The Salt Lake Tribune.