The Importance of Sleep to Students

A Baby Thesis

Presented to

Sir. Jose Enver Ojoy Campo

By:

Mark Vincent A. Amarille

November, 2019
 Chapter 1

The Problem And its Settings

Introduction:
A student is primarily a person enrolled in a school or other educational
institution who attends classes in a course to attain the appropriate level of mastery of a subject
under the guidance of an instructor and who devotes time outside class to do whatever activities the
instructor assigns that are necessary either for class preparation or to submit evidence of progress
towards that mastery. In the broader sense, a student is anyone who applies themselves to the
intensive intellectual engagement with some matter necessary to master it as part of some practical
affair in which such mastery is basic or decisive. There are many problems that students face
these days, but the biggest problem that students face is not getting enough sleep. It is very
important to get enough sleep in order to perform at your best. Sleepiness will affect your
overall life. If a student does not get enough sleep it is less likely that they do better in school.
Students are also not as healthy if they do not get the minimum hours of sleep. In addition,
sleepiness can make it harder to get along with friends and family. Teachers taking in
consideration the need for sleep in students could help solve this problem.

Sleepiness affects students in so many ways. Many

students do not do as good in school as they can because they are exhausted and drowsy.
Studies show that when a student is well rested they will score better on a test than someone
who has not rested at all. That is why teachers always tell you to come well rested for a test.
Teachers always say to sleep a lot before a test, but there are usually assignments that the
student has to complete before they can go to sleep. Usually students stay up and do badly on
the test because they are too sleepy to perform at their best. Teachers also put too much on
tests. If the students want to get a good grade they have to study and that means staying up
late too. They will have studied a lot, but they will not be well rested. Then, they will have to
study for other tests. During the last week of the semester teachers always have tests on the
same day. I think that all teachers should have their finals on a different day of the week.

The researchers use to conduct this study because personally they had experienced this kind of
problem and believe that this problem exist among students and will become worse if not given
attention.

The debilitating effects of not getting enough sleep on students will increase overtime, if

untreated.

Included in this study are added information the researcher gathered to help high school

students, teachers and parents understand the importance of sleep among students and

its effect to high school students academic performance. The researcher believed that

this study could contribute to avoid the drowsiness among students.

Statement of the Problem

The purpose of this study was to look in the amount of sleep a student gets its effects to the

academic excellence of high school students of Carlos Albert Highschool – Philippines during

the school year 2019 -2020

Specifically, it attempts to answer the following question:

1. What are the causes sleep deprivation.

2. What are the effects of of sleep deprivation among the students of Carlos Albert Highschool

– Philippines

3. What are the possible remedial solutions that teachers, parents , and students should work

out to minimize sleep deprivation.

4. What are the common indicators or symptoms of sleep deprivation.

Significance of the Study

The following personalities stand to benefit from the study..

Student. They become more aware of the effects of sleep deprivation in their

performance and they improved in terms of Activeness and Academic.

Parents. They might plan out better ways for their children to use the proper way of

managing time and become aware of the symptoms of not managing it properly

Teachers. They can help students to teach the basic necessary endowment.

They can also guide the students on how to properly manage time
 Researchers, in their own little way they could be help to contribute in the

development of the study.

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

This study was conducted in Carlos Albert Highschool During the school year of 2019 -

2020

It focused on sleep deprivation and its effects to the academic excellence of HS

students, causes of sleep deprivation and the possible remedial solutions that teachers,
parent and students should work out to make students overcome such as sleep
deprivation.

Definitions of terms

Sleep deprivation - also known as insufficient sleep or sleeplessness, is the condition of not
having enough sleep.

Drowsiness - a feeling of being sleepy and lethargic; sleepiness

Effect – an outcome or result of one’s existence

Performance – the accomplish made by the students

Academic - relating to education and scholarship.

Academic Excellence - The promotion and achievement of demonstrated success and

quality in teaching and scholarship on undergraduate and graduate levels

Study Area – this is referred to Carlos Albert Highschool of the Philippines

Symptoms - a sign of the existence of something, especially of an undesirable situation.

Activeness - physically energetic. exerting influence

Remedial - giving or intended as a remedy or cure.

Endowment - an income or form of property given or bequeathed to someone.

Bequeath - leave (a personal estate or one's body) to a person or other beneficiary by a will.

CHAPTER 2

RELATED LITERATURE

In this chapter, focus is on various relevant literatures that concerns with the effects of

Sleep deprivation to the students. The materials used are usually printed and found in the books,

internet and other publications.

Foreign Literature

According to Sir Alexander Fleming Sleep deprivation is common among university students,
and has been associated with poor academic performance and physical dysfunction. However,
current literature has a narrow focus in regard to domains tested, this study aimed to investigate
the effects of a night of sleep deprivation on cognitive and physical performance in students. A
randomized controlled crossover study was carried out with 64 participants [58% male (n = 37);
22 ± 4 years old (mean ± SD)]. Participants were randomized into two conditions: normal sleep
or one night sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation was monitored using an online time-stamped
questionnaire at 45 min intervals, completed in the participants’ homes. The outcomes were
cognitive: working memory (Simon game© derivative), executive function (Stroop test); and
physical: reaction time (ruler drop testing), lung function (spirometry), rate of perceived
exertion, heart rate, and blood pressure during submaximal cardiopulmonary exercise testing.
Data were analysed using paired two-tailed T tests and MANOVA. Reaction time and systolic
blood pressure post-exercise were significantly increased following sleep deprivation
(mean ± SD change: reaction time: 0.15 ± 0.04 s, p = 0.003; systolic BP:
6 ± 17 mmHg, p = 0.012). No significant differences were found in other variables. Reaction time
and vascular response to exercise were significantly affected by sleep deprivation in university
students, whilst other cognitive and cardiopulmonary measures showed no significant changes.
These findings indicate that acute sleep deprivation can have an impact on physical but not
cognitive ability in young healthy university students. Further research is needed to identify
mechanisms of change and the impact of longer term sleep deprivation in this population.

Keywords: Student, Acute sleep deprivation, Reaction time, Cognitive, Submaximal exercise

Sleep deprivation is common amongst university students whom live in a

culture that promotes reduced sleep, due to the burden of academic work and social
pursuits. The reasons for poor sleep hygiene include alcohol and caffeine intake,
stimulants, and technology, which prevent students achieving sufficient sleep time
and quality [1]. A cross-sectional survey found that 71% of students did not
achieve the recommended 8 h of sleep, with 60% classified as poor sleepers [2].
An average of 5.7 h sleep has been reported for students studying architecture, and
sleepless nights due to academic work throughout the night—defined by the
Oxford English Dictionary as an all-nighter—occurred, on average, 2.7 days a
month [3].
While many studies have investigated the effects of acute sleep deprivation, few
focus on university students, despite the prevalence and impact of sleep
deprivation in this population [4, 5]. Such studies often have a narrow focus on
disease states, limiting their ability to provide a holistic assessment of physical,
emotional and cognitive wellbeing [4–6]. The importance of physical and cognitive
function is especially appreciable in the student population, 52% of whom play
sport at least once a week. Moreover, students rate sleep problems second only to
stress in relation to negative impact on academic performance [7]. The effect of
acute sleep deprivation on physical performance has been well documented with
negligible effects on intense periods of exercise, whilst endurance task
performance suffers due to decreased motivation [8, 9].
The effect of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance has also been
documented previously with a correlation between sleep quality and grade point
average in first year university students [10]. Moreover, sleep deprivation has been
shown to have a detrimental effect on certain aspects of working memory, such as
filtering efficiency, whilst Stroop test scores show degradation; however, this has
been evidenced to be due to deficits in reaction time rather than processing skills
[5, 11–17]. Taken together, these data suggest that sleep deprivation may have a
limited effect on cognitive ability in university students.
This study aimed to determine whether a night of sleep deprivation, equivalent to
an “all-nighter”, would have a negative impact on the motor and cognitive
performance of students, specifically focusing on reaction time, executive function,
working memory, and cardiopulmonary function.
Study design, participants, and recruitment
This was a randomized, controlled crossover study, which took place from June to
September 2015. Exclusion criteria were: (1) any medication or medical history
that would make participation in the study, in particular the sleep deprivation and
exercise test, unsafe, or inappropriate; (2) mental incapacity to provide informed
consent, or (3) recent (within 6 months) participation in a research trial.
Participants were recruited via direct approach and posters on campus, social
media, and a National Heart and Lung Institute newsletter. Participants travel
expenses were reimbursed and all participants were offered the opportunity to be
entered into a prize draw. Participants were told that the study involved testing
parameters following sleep deprivation, but no information was given regarding
the anticipated results. All participants gave written informed consent, and the
study was approved by Medical Education Ethics Committee (Imperial College
London, 23/4/15, MEEC1415-24).
Participants were randomized to either the sleep deprivation or a normal night’s
sleep first, using a random number sequence. Twenty-four hours prior to the
morning assessment, participants were instructed to refrain from consuming
alcohol and caffeinated drinks as well as abstaining from exercise, smoking, and
nicotine patches. Those having a normal night’s sleep where asked to report how
much they had slept. The sleep deprivation arm were required to fill out a form
every 45 min to confirm that they were still awake. This form was checked the
following morning. More than two unexplained missed form completions resulted
in disqualification from the study. The crossover condition and assessment were
undertaken within 3–12 days of one another. Testing occurred between 09:00 to
13:00, with participants being allowed flexible timings; however, all follow-up
testing aimed to take place within 1 h of initial session time. The outcome was to
measure the change, if any, which occurred between the cognitive and physical
performance of participants undergoing sleep deprivation.
Before testing began, height and weight were recorded and participants were asked
to fill out a fitness questionnaire. The results of this questionnaire and participant
sex were used to estimate the appropriate Monark Ergomedic 828e resistance for
each participant, (male: 2.0 kp = unfit, 2.5 kp = fit, 3.0 kp = athlete; female:
1.5 kp = unfit, 2.0 kp = fit, 2.5 kp = athlete). A second questionnaire enquired about
recent (within 24 h) intake of food, caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine, and any
physical exercise was also completed.
All participants were provided with standardized descriptions of tests and given the
opportunity to habituate with procedures.

Cognitive function tests

The working memory mobile application was derived from the SIMON© game, an
appropriate test for working memory span [18]. It involved repeating a random
sequence of colors and sounds. As each level progressed, another random color-
sound combination was added to the previous sequence. This test was repeated
three times.
Standard stroop charts were used: (1) monochrome (reading black text); (2)
conflicting color (reading words with a mismatched color); (3) color blocks
(articulating the color of colored blocks), and (4) conflicting words (articulating
the color of mismatched words) [19]. Four versions of each test were created, so
that no participant used the same chart twice. Time taken to complete each chart
and the number of mistakes were recorded providing a measure of selective
attention, automatic responses, inhibition, and control of executive functions [20–
22].

Physical function tests

Participants performed two concordant volume-time spirometry traces, in
adherence to standard guidelines [23].
Participants underwent submaximal 8 min cardiopulmonary exercise testing
(CPET) using a cycle ergometer target cadence 50 ± 5; this intensity of exercise
test was chosen to replicate more closely students’ daily activities (as opposed to
maximal exercise testing). Three electrocardiogram (ECG) electrodes were
attached, and non-invasive blood pressure (BP) measurements and rating of
perceived exertion (RPE) were also recorded throughout the exercise test (Fig. 1).
Measurement of RPE has repeatedly been shown to have a strong correlation with
the intensity of exercise being performed, independently from other factors [24–
26].

Fig. 1

Timeline showing the measurements taken during the CPET. After calibration, a one-minute baseline was
conducted followed by 8 min of exercise and 3 min of rest. Non-invasive blood pressure (BP)
measurements were taken using a manual sphygmomanometer at three points of the test: pre-exercise,
post-exercise, and post-rest period. Rating of perceived exertion (RPE) (53) was recorded at the end of
each minute

Reaction time
The ruler drop test was used to assess average reaction speed, a simple and inexpensive test
compared to computerized assessments, with comparable reliability [27–30]. Participants carried
out three practice runs to eliminate a learning effect [27].

Statistical analyses
Statistical tests were carried out using IBM SPSS Statistics (V 22.0), Armonk, NY,
USA. Due to the novel measures used in this study, a preliminary study was
performed to estimate appropriate sample size. The study consisted of eight
participants representative of the target population with a target sample size
determined of 51 at a power level of 80%; therefore, a target recruitment of 70 was
set with an estimated 25% attrition rate. Initially, descriptive statistics were
obtained for all variables. Data were inspected for normality using histograms.
Parametric data were reported as mean ± standard deviation, and paired two-
tailed T tests were carried out to assess the difference between normal night sleep
and sleep deprived arms. The tests were carried out with alpha significance
level p ≤ 0.05, and 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Levene’s test
(homogeneity of variances) was used to assess the differences in variance of
samples. Differences in rating of perceived exertion and heart rate during exercise
were assessed using multivariate analysis of variance test.

Results

Participant characteristics
The study sample consisted of 64 Imperial College London students, 57 (89%) of
which completed the study (Fig. 2). The characteristics of the participants are
summarised in Table 1; upon study entry, participants reported typically sleeping
between 5 and 9 h per night, with 94.7% reporting these hours as ‘typical’ and
98.2% reporting sleeping through until morning without waking on most nights.
58% of participants were male and 69% were undergraduates. The participants’
mean age was 22 ± 4 years.
Participants in the sleep deprivation arm filled in the online form on average every
49 ± 21 min throughout the night. Participants in the normal night’s sleep arm
reported sleeping on average 7.2 ± 1.0 h. The mean difference in time of day that
testing occurred (between condition 1 and condition 2) was 32 ± 15 min with no
significant difference between testing times (p = 0.220).

Fig. 2

Flow chart showing participant numbers during the study. Percentages indicate the percentage of
individuals who remained from the previous stage
 CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the method of research and procedures used in the study.

I. Research Design

This study used the Descriptive Research Method (Study Method)

The descriptive method of research is an organized attempt to analyzed, interpret and report
Effects of technology among High School Students of Carlos Albert Highschool – Philippines

This study was concerned generally to see how sleep deprivation affects high school students

II. Locale of the Study

This study will be based on high school students randomly selected in 3 sections particularly

in the Grade 10 of the High School Department of Carlos Albert Highschool

III. Respondents

The respondents of this study are High School students enrolled in Carlos Albert Highschool

– Philippines Academic year 2019 – 2020.

Academic year 2014-2015.

 Section No. of students Respondents

Amber 42 20

Agate 43 15

Diamond 44 15

CHAPTER 4

PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF

DATA

This chapter presents and interprets the data gathered from the respondents through the use of

questionnaire checklist interview.

A Letter: Confirmation of Permission to conduct a Survey on Agate / Diamond.

The Survey is Conducted to know the statistical value

among students of section Agate and Diamond. The Purpose of this survey is to broaden

my research, make honest claims about my research, and to make my statistical value

accurate. This is only for my Baby Thesis Project on English and should not be taken

seriously. It will only take a few minutes to answer the survey since its only 5 questions, and

only limited to 15 students. I’ll be waiting for your Kind Consideration.

Student Signature: English Teacher’s

Signature:
 I. Profile of the Respondents.

Table 1 presents the distribution of the respondents in terms of grade, section and gender.

Table 1

Profiles of the Respondents in terms of Grade, Section, and Gender

Question 1: How many hours of sleep do you spend Sleeping?

Grade & 8 and more 5 to 6 hours 1 to 4 Never

Section hours hours
G-10 Amber 3 13 4 0

G-10 Agate 3 10 2 0

G-10 Diamond 0 8 7 0

Male 9 13 2 0

Female 1 18 12 0

Question 2: How frequently do you get a 8 hours of sleep?

Grade & Always Often Seldom Never

Section
G-10 Amber 2 9 9 0

G-10 0 12 3 0
Agate
G-10 Diamond 0 8 6 0
 Male 2 12 5 0

Female 0 17 13 0

Question 3: (If ever) How many days have you gone through without sleeping at all?

Grade & 1 day 2 Days 3 days and Above Never

Section
G-10 Amber 9 3 1 7

G-10 7 1 0 7
Agate
G-10 Diamond 7 3 3 3

Male 15 0 2 5

Female 8 7 2 12

Question 4: At what time of the day do you prefer sleeping at?

Grade & Morning Afternoons Night Late Night

Section
G-10 Amber 0 4 5 11

G-10 1 4 8 4
Agate
G-10 Diamond 1 4 8 3

Male 0 2 9 10

Female 2 7 9 8

Question 5: Are you more of a Diurnal(Active at day) or a Nocturnal?(Active at Night)

Grade & Diurnal Nocturnal

Section
G-10 Amber 9 12

G-10 9 5
Agate
G-10 Diamond 7 8

Male 7 5

Female 11 12
Findings:

The data showed at Question 2 that most of the respondents were not

frequent at getting an 8 hours of sleep, this implies that most of the students in Carlos Albert

Highschool are not getting an annual of 8 hours sleep. It was a very close match in Question 5,

with Diurnal having 43 Total Respondents and Nocturnal having 42 Respondents, this implies that

even though most of students in Carlos Albert Highschool claims that they’re Nocturnal most of

them are actually Diurnal. And from what I have gathered I have found out that Boys tend to sleep

more early than girls, girls stay up late more than boys could. The data also showed that as

teenagers progress and grow older they tend to be more prone onto Sleep Deprivation.

CHAPTER 5

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This chapter presents the summary of the study finding conclusions drawn and their

recommendation made leased on the finding of the study.

Summary

This study entitled ‘’The Importance of Sleep to Students’’ during the school

year 2019-2020. Specifically it attempted to answer to the following questions.

1. How many hours of sleep do you spend Sleeping?

2. How often do you get a 8 Hours of sleep?

3. (If ever) How many days have you gone through without sleeping at all?

4. At what time of the day do you prefer sleeping at?

5. Are you more of a Diurnal or a Nocturnal?

This study used descriptive method of research with the questionnaire checklist in

gathering data from the respondents. The respondents were students from Carlos Albert
Highschool-Philippines, chosen to random sampling. The information gathered from them for

tabulated tallied according to the number gathered.

Findings

Based in the information gathered by the researchers, the following are the findings:

I. Profile of the Respondents

1.) Gender – The data showed that most of the respondents were Deprived of sleep and are

lacking time to sleep an annual of 8 hours sleep. And Males tend to sleep early than Females

This implied that in terms of Sleep Deprivation, Females are more prone to it.

2.) Age – Most of the older respondents are more associated with Sleep Deprivation, unlike

the younger ones.

II. Common Indicators of Sleep Deprivation

A. Physical

The common indicator of Sleep Deprivation in physical aspects is they tend to

have Poor Balance in Coordination(prone to any Fitness activities such as P.E.), Either they

become Thinner or Fatter because of the chemical imbalance in the body, and lastly Weakened

Immunity they are more prone to common colds.

 B. Mental

The common indicator of Sleep Deprivation in Mental aspects is they have

trouble thinking and concentrating, Moody(Frequent Mood Changes), And they easily get

Depressed over simple things.

III. Causes of Sleep Deprivation

Sleep deprivation occurs when someone does not get a healthy amount of
sleep.

The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) 2015 recommendations for appropriate

sleep durations for specific age groups are:

 Newborns (0 to 3 months): 14 to 17 hours each day

 Infants (4 to 11 months): 12 to 15 hours
 Toddlers (1 to 2 years): 11 to 14 hours
 Preschoolers (3 to 5 years): 10 to 13 hours
 School-age children (6 to 13 years): 9 to 11 hours
 Teenagers (14 to 17 years): 8 to 10 hours
 Adults (18 to 64 years): 7 to 9 hours
 Older adults (over 65 years): 7 to 8 hours

Some groups of people may consider sleep as wasted time and purposely
deprive themselves of sleep to pursue other things such as entertainment,
educational goals, or money-making pursuits.

This intentional sleep deprivation is most likely to be seen in teenagers and

young adults.
Others may unintentionally not get enough sleep because of shift work, family
obligations, or demanding jobs.

Consistent sleep-wake patterns of going to bed late, frequent nighttime

arousals, or waking up early can lead to sleep deprivation and the
accumulation of sleep debt.

Additional causes of sleep deprivation include medical problems such

as depression, obstructive sleep apnea, hormone imbalances, and other
chronic illnesses.

IV. Effects of Sleep Deprivation to the health of Students

Sleep deprivation can negatively affect a range of systems in the body.

It can have the following impact:

 Not getting enough sleep prevents the body from strengthening the immune
system and producing more cytokines to fight infection. This can mean a
person can take longer to recover from illness as well as having an increased
risk of chronic illness.
 Sleep deprivation can also result in an increased risk of new and advanced
respiratory diseasesTrusted Source.
 A lack of sleep can affect body weight. Two hormones in the body, leptin and
ghrelin, control feelings of hunger and satiety, or fullness. The levels of these
hormones are affected by sleep. Sleep deprivation also causes the release
of insulin, which leads to increased fat storage and a higher risk of type 2
diabetes.
 Sleep helps the heart vessels to heal and rebuild as well as affecting processes
that maintain blood pressure and sugar levels as well as inflammation control.
Not sleeping enough increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.
 Insufficient sleep can affect hormone production, including growth hormones
and testosterone in men.
Conclusions

In the light of above findings of this study, the following conclusions were drawn:

1. Males tend to sleep early than most females.

2. The biggest number of respondents was females and only few were males.

3. Sleep Deprivation causes students to be more Depressed, Lack Concentration And Overall

Weak and ill both in the aspect of Physical and Mental Health

4. This statement might contradict my other research sources but here it is anyways For the sake

of more information. Sleep Deprivation has both Negative and Positive effects:

Positive:

Interestingly, sleep deprivation can have positive effects such as tireless stamina,

enhanced creativity, & heightened awareness… Investigations into its

more positive effects are giving scientists new perceptions about sleep deprivation.

Negative:
 Sleepiness Causes Accidents. ...
 Sleep Loss Dumbs You Down. ...
 Sleep Deprivation Can Lead to Serious Health Problems. ...
 Lack of Sleep Kills Sex Drive. ...
 Sleepiness Is Depressing. ...
 Lack of Sleep Ages Your Skin. ...
 Sleepiness Makes You Forgetful.

5. With regards to the possible solutions to minimize Sleep Deprivation, it was revealed that the

teachers, parents and student should cooperate.

Recommendation

1. Parents should monitor their children’s Health Mentally and Physically.

2.Parents should encourage their children to have a schedule on doing everyday things so that

their children can follow a certain rule and not get lost on the process of heavy school

works/Overwork themselves.

3. The Students should discipline themselves, in a way that they must resist the urge of sleeping

late at night just to mettle with their cellphones and computers.

4. Teachers should be aware of the behavior of the student during classes.

5. Parents should limit the use of technology to their children, And bond with them more.