Procter 1

Je’Leycia Procter

Professor Flores

ENG 1201

21 March 2022

How does sleep affect health in teenagers?

Introduction

Sleep is something that is very important for every living thing. Animals need it, humans

need it, even insects need sleep. The average teenager needs 8-10 hours of sleep. 72 percent of

teenagers do not get the recommended 8 hours of sleep at all. Losing sleep is something that will

negatively affect a teenager. People need to know how sleep affects teenagers so they can help

them accordingly especially since teenagers’ lives are challenging at this point. Teenagers are

very busy in these years of their lives. They need a lot of sleep for the changes they are going

through and all the work they have to do whether it is a job, school, extracurricular activity, or

sport. Without sleep, they can make bad decisions, develop mental disorders, and many other

things. There are many things that can keep a teenager from getting a proper amount of sleep so

they need to plan around it. They can have late nights of homework or anything. Sleep affects

health a lot in teens because it can cause them to develop different mental disorders and it can

mess with their ability to perform on their assignments.

There are a lot of reasons for teens not getting enough sleep at night. Being on screens is

a big one. Joanna Cooper is a sleep medicine specialist and neurologist. She says, “The National

Sleep Association says about 90 percent of Americans regularly use an electronic device in the

hour before they go to bed.” Since people are on their phones or watching tv at night they
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struggle to get sleep through the night. The different screens are stimulating the part of the brain

that keeps people awake. This makes it easy for them to end up awake for hours at a time.

Stress is a big reason for teens not getting enough sleep at night. Stress keeps a lot of

teenagers awake at night, then they lose sleep which leads them to be more stressed. According

to the American Psychological Association, “18 percent of teens say that when they do not get

enough sleep, they are more stressed and 36 percent of teens report feeling tired because of stress

in the past month.” A lot of teenagers are extremely stressed out and they lose sleep over it. They

can’t sleep when there are a lot of things going on in their lives and it stresses them out. If teens

were able to have more stress-free lives they would get better and longer sleep.

A teenager’s life outside of school can fall into reasons why they are having trouble

sleeping. For example, if they have a job they may have less time to sleep at night. Liliane

Teixeira, an academic researcher, wrote “several studies have shown that working adolescents

wake up earlier, have a shorter nocturnal sleep duration and a higher level of sleepiness during

wake time during the week than nonworking students do.” Busy teenagers sleep a lot later than

others who are not. They are really sleepy and can’t sleep it off. They just have to deal with

being sleepy.

There are many misconceptions regarding teenagers and their sleeping. Many people

believe teenagers having problems waking up early and sleeping in all day is them being lazy.

But it isn’t. According to Sarah Cox, a sleep scientist, “When teenagers struggle to wake up at

the crack of dawn, this is not an indication of laziness - it reflects biological changes taking

place.” Teenagers go through a lot of changes at this point in their lives. Their bodies are going

through changes that make them need more sleep and energy.
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Adding on to that teenagers’ body clocks change a lot. In Busting 5 common Sleep Myths

they say, “Teenagers’ biological clocks also tend to keep them awake later in the evening hours

and sleeping later in the morning”(Henry Ford Staff). Since school starts really early they can’t

really adjust accordingly because of homework and other things they do outside of school, so

they sleep later. This leads people to believe once again that these teenagers are lazy when they

are really just having trouble adjusting.

There are many things that make teenagers sleep irregularly. It has a lot to do with their

biology. For teenagers “your 24-hour ‘body clock’ can also move later, delaying the time that

you feel sleepy at night and awaken in the morning”(Sleep Health Foundation). Teenagers sleep

later and later the older they get. They have extracurricular activities, work, homework, and

many other things that keep them awake at night.

Teenagers actually need more sleep than a child. John Hopkins Medicine says “teens

need 9 to 9 ½ hours of sleep per night -...Teenagers are going through a second developmental

stage of cognitive maturation.” The more sleep teenagers get the more support their brains have

to develop. They also need the extra sleep for growth spurts, They are protected from mental

health disorders and other things like drug use.

Some people say high school is where sleep deprivation starts. Teens have to get up

really early so they never get enough sleep. There isn’t enough time. They have to get out of bed

before their bodies are completely ready to do so. It does not help that high schoolers get many

hours of homework and they just want a break. So they turn to other things like social media,

leading them to stay awake longer. There is a lot of pressure on teenagers in high school like

college, jobs, and other activities.

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“A study of close to 5,000 teens found that depression and anxiety symptoms were

closely linked with sleep deprivation in teens”(Newport Academy). Teenagers not getting

enough sleep has a lot to do with their mental health. They are negatively affected by not

sleeping. This leads teens to feel hopeless and sad when they didn’t get enough sleep. The

number of suicide attempts in teens increases.

When teenagers don’t get the sleep they need it can mess make their mental health go

downhill. A lot of people are affected negatively if they don’t have enough sleep. Cherry says “

Sleep deprivation can leave you feeling irritable and exhausted in the short-term.” These are just

some of the negative effects involving a lack of sleep. If you are irritated and exhausted you

can’t perform at your best. This makes things harder and more stressful.

According to the Sleep Foundation, “Insufficient sleep in teens can make them prone to

accidental injury and even death”(Suni). Studies show that sleep deprivation can reduce reaction

times and it is similar to people’s reaction time after consuming alcohol. This leads teens to be

more prone to accidents when they are tired.

Sleep helps people with everything. If they get enough sleep they basically have an easier

time sleeping. “When you’re tired, you can’t function at your best. Sleep helps you think more

clearly, have quicker reflexes, and focus better”(The benefits of Slumber). People who actually

get enough sleep at night can function better than a person who does not. It is harder to pay

attention to different details and solve problems when you haven’t had a proper amount of sleep.

“Sleep is as important to our health as eating, drinking and breathing. It allows our bodies

to repair themselves and our brains to consolidate our memories and process information”(Sleep

Matters: The Impact of Sleep on Health and Wellbeing). Sleep is something that teens need just

as much as the other things that are important to their health. Losing it can lead to different
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things like mental health disorders. They need sleep in order to repair their minds and just have a

rest for a few hours.

When teens are sleep deprived they are more likely to use drugs and alcohol in order to

stay awake. According to Child Mind Institute, “Research by Dr. Carskadon and several others

shows that sleep-deprived teens are far more likely to use stimulants like caffeine and nicotine to

get through the day but also to deal with sleep-related negative moods by self-medicating with

alcohol.” Teenagers who don’t get appropriate sleep are more likely to succumb to drugs to get

through the day. Without proper sleep, they are unable to make good decisions and they have

trouble controlling their impulses. Sleep-deprived teenagers are more susceptible to drugs

because they aren’t able to get proper rest.

Lack of sleep can affect physical health. “ Studies have found sleep loss can increase

your risk of becoming obese. People’s bodies produce and regulate various hormones during

sleep”(Pacheco). If they don’t sleep it is easier for them to become obese and that will make their

lives harder. If teenagers aren’t eating enough before bed there is a chance that their sleep will be

interrupted by their hunger. They will wake up and eat in the middle of the night, disrupting their

sleep patterns as a whole and possibly causing obesity. It can also lead to heart problems and

immune health issues. It can affect their thinking skills and many other things.

Sleep has a lot to do with their mental and physical health. More of the mental health

though. “Sleep deprivation affects your psychological state and mental health”(Harvard Health).

After this, they stated if they have mental health disorders they can have more disorders

connected to sleep. This article also states “ Chronic sleep problems affect 50% to 80% of

patients in a typical psychiatric practice, compared with 10% to 18% of adults in the general U.S.
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population”(Harvard Health). This shows that sleep is important especially if people struggle

with mental health disorders and other things.

Sleep deprivation looks a lot like ADHD. It leads doctors to misdiagnose actual sleep

disorders or if the teenager actually has ADHD. Danielle Pacheco, a staff writer with a degree in

psychology who studies sleep says, “In children, fatigue may present as being hyperactive and

impulsive.” These are a few symptoms of sleep deprivation that look like ADHD. There are

many sleep disorders linked to ADHD. This can lead doctors to misdiagnose teenagers with

ADHD instead of actual sleeping problems.

There are many ways to improve sleep in teenagers like limiting screens, excercise,

eliminate caffine, making sure they eat enough before bed, make a routine for night time, make

the bedroom strictly for sleep, not letting teenagers sleep in on the weekend.

Moving screens out of teen’s room is something that can improve their sleep. Pacheco

says “Tempting as it might be to use your computer or phone before bed, studies have shown

these devices can interfere with sleep by suppressing the production of melatonin.” Anything that

emits blue light is a problem in a bedroom. Blue light delays the natural production of melatonin

which makes it harder for someone to fall asleep. Because of this time with electronics should be

shortened. People will feel more awake and alert when they should be preparing to fall asleep, so

they will be awake loner.

Physical activity is something that can help a teen sleep longer. “Specifically, the team

found that for every extra hour of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, the teens fell asleep 18

minutes earlier, slept 10 minutes longer, and had about one percent greater sleep maintenance

efficiency that night”(Penn State). If people aren’t being physically active it ruins the quality of
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your sleep and how long you sleep. But if you are active then you will sleep earlier, longer, and

have better quality sleep.

Caffeine makes you more aware but it also keeps you from actually getting sleepy. IN the

article Sleep and Caffeine they say “One study also found that caffeine can delay the timing of

your body clock. These effects will reduce your total sleep time. Caffeine also can reduce the

amount of deep sleep that you enjoy.” Caffeine can make you lose a whole hour of sleep if you

consume it 6 hours before bed. Teenagers should not ingest caffeine durnig the day because it

will mess with the amount of timie they sleep and how rested they feel whent ehy wake up the

next day.

Teenagers having a routine can help their bodies wind down. If a teenager is doing the

same thing every night their bodies will eventually know it’s time to go to bed after they do it

and start to wind down. In the article Daily routines may influence sleep quality, quantity Allison

Bond says “people reported better sleep quality and fewer awakenings at night when they were

consistent in the time they first went outside.” When the body is used to a certain thing it will

know that you need to sleep and go with it. Poeple should fall in to routines so hey can get better

sleep.

The environment a teenager sleeping in has a lot to do with how they sleep. According to

Pacheco, “Studies have shown people simply sleep better when their bedroom is optimized for

light and noise levels, temperature, and comfort.” This is healthier for them to sleep. They will

sleep longer and overall better in a good environment. So they will feel better everyday if they

sleep in a good environment.

Adding on to the environment, temperature is something that you need to take into

account when creating a good sleep environment. If you have a lower core temperature you will
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feel a lot more tired. Pacheco says “a lower core temperature makes you feel sleepy, whereas a

higher temperature helps you stay alert during the day.” The reccomended temperature for a

room is 65 degrees fahrenheit and it helps to keep your temperature low. If you are colder you

will be less alert and sleep longer.

Teenagers should sleep in a quiet room. In The Bedroom Environemnt “ Loud noise

disturbances can cause severe sleep fragmentation and disruption, which in turn can have

negative impacts on your physical and mental health”(Pacheco). It is easy for sleep to be

interupted if there is a lot of loud noise in the bedroom. If someone needs to have noise it should

be ambient and something that isn’t to loud. The noise can make you move to a lighter sleep

stage and eventually wake up.

Light has a lot to do with teens sleep and how they sleep through the night. How teens

sleep is influenced by light. Accoding to Pacheco “The circadian rhythms that guide your sleep-

wake cycle are heavily influenced by natural light and darkness.” Natural light is the thing that

tells your brain to be awake. Darkness is the one that shuts your brain down and males you

sleepy.

Sleep has a big effect on teenagers' health since it is one of the big reasons that they have

trouble in school and develop mental disorders. There are many different things that sleep

deprivation causes in teens. There are also many reasons why teenagers are unable to sleep at

night. Teenagers have many problems with their sleeping patterns which leads them to have

many mental health problems and struggle with their schooling and everything else that goes on

in their lives. Teenagers need to have more chill and time for themselves. They need to be able to

get more sleep so they can perform at their best ability. All the things that can keep a teenager

from sleeping should be eliminated every once in a while so they can get quality sleep
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sometimes. Sleep-deprived teenagers are more vulnerable to bad decisions and have worse

performance in school. This should show people to let up on teenagers and not be so upset when

they aren’t waking up in the morning or are sleeping in on weekends.

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Works Cited

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Work Hazard.” Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health, U.S. National

Library of Medicine, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16932831/#:~:text=Several

%20studies%20have%20shown%20that,week%20than%20nonworking%20students

%20do.

“Bedroom Environment: What Elements Are Important?” Sleep Foundation, 11 Mar. 2022,

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/bedroom-environment.

Bond, Allison. “Daily Routines May Influence Sleep Quality, Quantity.” Reuters, Thomson

Reuters, 3 Jan. 2014, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-sleep-routine-

idUSBREA010QL20140103.

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%204%3A%20Teens%20don't,hours%20of%20sleep%20every%20night.

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health-4783067#:~:text=Lack%20of%20sleep%20is%20linked,%2C%20anxiety%2C

%20and%20bipolar%20disorder.
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%20you're%20having%20problems,or%20make%20existing%20symptoms%20worse.

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