SLEEP DEPRIVATION 1

SLEEP DEPRIVATION

In this Information Age, sleep deprivation has become more and more rampant and
chronic. It is a common problem that affects everyone, ranging from children to senior
citizens, regardless of location, race, sex and culture. However, what is actually meant by
sleep? Why is sleep so importance to us? Most importantly, what is sleep deprivation? What
are the causes and effects of sleep deprivation?

Definition of Sleep

“Sleep is a resting state in which an individual becomes relatively quiescent and

relatively unaware of the environment. During sleep, which is a period of rest and relaxation,
most physiological functions such as body temperature, blood pressure, and rate of breathing
and heartbeat decrease. However, sleep is also a time of repair and growth, and some tissues,
e.g., epithelium, proliferate more rapidly during sleep.”

--The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition (2008)

“Sleep is a biological imperative critical to the maintenance of mental and physical

health. It is a state of lessened consciousness and decreased physical activity during which
the organism slows down and repairs itself. The sleep cycle involves two distinct phases that
alternate cyclically from light sleep to deep then deeper and deepest sleep throughout the
sleep period.”

--Gale Encyclopedia of Children's Health: Infancy through Adolescence (2006)

“Sleep is defined as a state of unconsciousness from which a person can be aroused.

In this state, the brain is relatively more responsive to internal stimuli than external stimuli.
Sleep should be distinguished from coma. Coma is an unconscious state from which a person
cannot be aroused. Sleep is essential for the normal, healthy functioning of the human body.
It is a complicated physiological phenomenon that scientists do not fully understand.

Historically, sleep was thought to be a passive state. However, sleep is now known to
be a dynamic process, and our brains are active during sleep. Sleep affects our physical and
mental health, and is essential for the normal functioning of all the systems of our body,
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including the immune system. The effect of sleep on the immune system affects one’s ability
to fight disease and endure sickness.

States of brain activity during sleep and wakefulness are result from different
activating and inhibiting forces that are generated within the brain. Neurotransmitters
(chemicals involved in nerve signaling) control whether one is asleep or awake by acting on
nerve cells (neurons) in different parts of the brain. Neurons located in the brainstem actively
causes sleep by inhibiting other parts of the brain that keep a person awake.”

-- www.emedicinehealth.com

Stages of Sleep

In around year 1950s, a French scientist named Michel Jouvet had found out that
brain activity and body activity changes from time to time during stages of sleep. This is due
to the fact that he discovered periods in which the brain of a severely brain-damaged cat was
relatively active although its muscles were completely in a state of relaxation. Later
researches also show that such strange periods do not only occur in brain-damaged cats but
also in cats with normal functioning of the brains (Jouvet, Michel, & Courjon, 1959).
Therefore, Jouvet referred these periods as paradoxical sleep because the physiological and
brain wave activity were apparently indistinguishable from the waking state. And yet most of
the large muscles of the sleeper are so relaxed that the sleeper is invariably paralyzed.

In addition, two American sleep researchers William Dement and Nathaniel Kleitman
(1957) also discovered another significant fact about sleep, that is, they consistently observed
that the sleeper’s eyes are moving rapidly around under the closed eyelids in one recurrent
stage of sleep, which they named this stage as rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Also, they
referred other stages of sleep as non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. REM sleep is the
stage of sleep where many sleepers have higher disposition to report vivid dreams when they
are awakened during REM sleep. Nonetheless, there are also complex dreams reported by the
sleepers when they are awakened during NREM sleep.

Studies show that infants spend almost 50% of their time in REM sleep whereas
adults spend around half of sleep time in stage 2 NREM sleep, about 20% in REM sleep and
the other 30% in the other three stages. For older adults, they spend less time in REM sleep.
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Researchers have identified sleep is actually comprised of 5 stages, which is one stage
in REM sleep and 4 stages in NREM sleep.

In the first dozing off, the sleeper enters Stage 1 NREM sleep. During this stage, the
eyes of the sleepers move pretty slowly and muscle activity slows down. This stage is a light
sleep where the transition between wakefulness and sleep takes place. Furthermore, the
neural activity of the brain is out of synchronized, indicating there is still a fair amount of
brain activity. Later on, the sleepers will enter Stage 2 NREM sleep. The eye movement
become relatively inactive and brain waves become slower with the gradual transition begins
into the synchronized neural activity. Stage 3 NREM sleep then follows, in which the pulse
rate, breathing rate and brain activity become slower. The neural activities of the brain
become more synchronized, showing high brain activity. Next, the sleeper will enter Stage 4
NREM sleep. In stage 4 NREM sleep, the pulse rate, breathing rate and the brain activity are
the slowest. The neural activities of the brain are highly synchronized, showing decreased in
the brain activity. Likewise, during these slow wave stages where the neural activities are
synchronized, the eyes of the sleepers remain relatively inactive. Stages 3 and 4 are found to
dominate the first half of night.

After Stage 4 NREM sleep, the sleeper moves back through stages 3 and 2 and then
progresses into the first brief REM sleep of the night. Here goes one cycle of sleep. In the
REM sleep, breathing rate, pulse rate and brain activity of the sleepers become more rapid.
The eyes of the sleepers move rapidly and most of the body muscles are relaxed. Brain waves
during this stage become unsynchronized which resembles the period when the sleeper is
awake, indicating increase in brain activity. Hence, this stage is also referred to as
paradoxical sleep as the physiological and brain wave activity are apparently
indistinguishable from the waking state. REM sleep is the period in which the sleeper is the
hardest to be awakened. This is also the time when dream vividness is reported by the
sleepers who are awakened during REM sleep.
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Importance of Sleep

In accordance to this question, scientists have proposed 2 theories which are Repair
and Restoration Theory and Evolutionary Theory to explain the importance of sleep.

Repair and Restoration Theory

According to this theory, the function of the sleep is so significant that it allows the
body time to aid the body to recover from the exertions of the days. Exertions of the day
include mental or physical activities that an individual has carried out throughout the day.
Therefore, sleeping is imperative to revitalize and restore the physiological processes that
help to maintain the proper functioning of the body and in the meanwhile keep the mind
healthy. Also, this theory proposes that REM sleep is important in restoring mental functions
whereas NREM sleep is essential for restoring physiological functions.

Various researches conducted support this theory as period of REM sleep increases
after periods of vigorous physical activities and sleep deprivation. During sleep, the body
increases its rate of cell division and protein synthesis, further suggesting that repair and
restoration do happen during sleeping periods (Adam, 1980). Within this general area, 2
theories have contributed significantly towards the further understanding of Repair and
Restoration Theory.

Oswald (1980) proposes that different types of sleep are imperative in restoring and
repairing different biological functions. Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep is undeniably
essential to promote brain growth, repair and reorganisation whereas Non- Rapid Eye
Movement (NREM) sleep is necessary for bodily growth and repair. During NREM, an
important precursor for protein synthesis in our body which is growth hormone is released.

Another theorist who is Horne (1988) extends Oswald’s theory in explaining role of
sleep in restoring and repairing. He proposes that sleep is divided into core sleep (REM and
NREM) and optional sleep. He further proposes that brain restoration and repair take place
during core sleep. Optional sleep is the time for the physiological restoration to take place.
However, body restoration can also occur at other times particularly during periods of relaxed
wakefulness.
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Evolutionary Theory

The evolutionary theory or Energy Conservation Theory proposes that evolution has
equipped all animals with a regular pattern of sleep and wakefulness to help us conserve
energy and avert dangers. This theory accounts well for differences in the amount of sleep
among the species. For example, cat sleeps more than horses and sheep. So, what makes the
difference in the amount of sleep between cats and horses? Cats do not have many natural
predators; therefore they can afford to have longer periods of sleep as they are unlikely to be
attacked by their predators while they are sleeping. Animals such as horses and sheep have a
lot of natural predators, such as tigers and lions. Hence, they must spend almost entire of their
waking hours eating to provide them sufficient energy because their diet which is glass, are
low in calories. Furthermore, they cannot afford to have long period of sleep because their
survivals are highly dependent on their ability to run away from their predators.

Definition of Sleep Deprivation

“Sleep deprivation is a sufficient lack of restorative sleep over a cumulative period so

as to cause physical or psychiatric symptoms and affect routine performances of tasks.”

-- Stedman's Medical Dictionary28th edition (2006)

“The condition of being deprived of sleep either under experimental or under unusual
real life conditions, as distinguished from being unable to sleep. The effects of sleep
deprivation lead to impaired hearing, sight, brain function, mental alertness, as well as
physical ability, meaning slow reflexes and clumsiness. Sleep deprivation is bad for health,
leaving one prone to get sick. Prolonged periods of sleep deprivation up to few weeks lead to
death in lab animals.”

-- Biology-online.org (2007)

Causes of Sleep Deprivation

Research shows that adolescents always sacrifice their sleep when they deal with
making choices about management of time. Sleep expert Mary Carskadon, PhD, suggests that
teenagers should have at least nine hours of sleep every night. However, that suggestion
seems to be true on the weekends as very few teenagers do have sufficient sleep during
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school nights. Irrefutably, the first and foremost thing that the college students are most likely
to sacrifice when their examinations are just around the corner is sleep. They seems fail to
realize the importance of sleep for the proper functioning of the body. Having adequate
amount of sleep at night prior to examination is undoubtedly essential for those who wish to
attain excellent results on an examination. Carskadon's study also proposes that biological
factor might be one of the causative agents for sleep deprivation among teenagers. Their
internal body clocks have been adjusted slightly different compared to that of teenage years
as late nights are an indicator of growing into adulthood.

In this advanced era, it is irrefutable that one of the most dreadful things teenagers
face during their study life is examination. Fear of failing in an examination can cause
immeasurable amount of stress to the students. Stress is defined as the nonspecific responses
of the body to any demands made on it (Hans Selye, 1979). Also, the perception of stress
determines the intensity of the stress a person feels because examinations will have different
meanings to different people. Some students who perceive that examination is everything and
an tool to measure the level of intelligence are most likely to face intense stress as they
interpret examinations as something frightful. According to Richard Lazarus (1977), a
stressful situation is one that a person regards as threatening and possibly exceeding his or
her resources. The students may feel stressful when the examinations are coming most
probably because they regard examinations as threatening and possibly exceed their coping
mechanism. They may not have finished revising all the topics due to inadequate time, hence
this explains why they have higher disposition to experience stress because they perceive the
stressor which is the upcoming examination, exceeds their coping mechanism.

In order to minimize the anxiety faced the students, most of the college students,
without fail, will handle their stress by taking problem-focused approach. They attend
carefully to the stressful examination and trying to employ an effective action. Therefore,
they choose to sacrifice their sleep by burning midnight oil in order to achieve marvellous
results in the upcoming examinations. They sacrifice their sleep because they wish to finish
revising all the topics and be more confident in the examination. It is often true that things
which are unpredictable impose greater stress as we cannot gain control over it and do not
know what to respond. By sacrificing their sleep, they wish they are able to gain sense of
predictability and control over the examination by having more preparation prior to
examination.
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Besides, they may sacrifice their sleep doing practice tests in order to inoculate or
immunize themselves against stressful examinations. In this context, inoculation means
exposing ourselves to small amounts of less serious versions to the events prior to
encountering the actual stressor. Hence, by doing inoculation, the intensity of the stress felt
by the students is reduced tremendously.

Apart from stress originated from examinations, technology can also be one of the
major contributing factors that encroach on the students’ sleep. Computers, video games, and
the Internet have become parts of our daily lives. The use of computer has far reached beyond
work and now it has become a major source of entertainment for many people. For most
teenagers, computer and internet use as well as video game play are incorporated into their
lives in a balanced healthy manner.

When time spent on the computer, playing video games and surfing the Internet
reaches a point that interferes school life and normal functioning in lives, that person is said
to be caught in a state of addiction. Activities like playing games and surfing internet increase
the release of dopamine, which interfere with reabsorption and stimulate the neurons that
release dopamine or decrease activity of neurons that inhibit release of dopamine. The
addictive actions of the dopamine works upon a small area of brain named the nucleus
accumbens, which controls attention and habit formation of a person. The nucleus accumbens
is the site of the brain that is important for the motivating effects of many experiences such as
food, drugs and sex. Playing computer games can have the same biological effect as most of
the abused drug. It increases the activity of dopamine, which serves as an inhibitory
transmitter in nucleus accumbens. A decrease in output by the nucleus accumbens is
important for the motivating effects derived from playing computer games.

The effect of addiction of computer or video game includes the substitution of friends
and family as the source of a person's emotional life. Time away from the computer or game
can cause withdrawal symptoms, that is, decrease in exciting effect derived from playing
computer games. As expected, to respond to the withdrawal faced by the person, the addicted
person spends more time than before in playing computer games or searching the Internet.
They are even willing to sacrifice their sleep just to get the exciting and thrilling effects
gained from playing computer games, without ruminating on the hazardous effects of sleep
deprivation.
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When a person spends more than ten hours daily playing computer games, surfing the
internet, instant messaging, and reading emails, that amount of time spent can easily
accumulate up to seventy to eighty hours a week. As a result, school work and major social
lives of the addicted students will be impaired and inhibited. Most of the non-school hours
are spent on playing computer games and surfing internet. The ego of those students side to
id, that is, the id of the students is more dominant than their superego. Consequently, they
neglect the assignments given by the school teachers and end up in poorer grades.

Effects of Sleep Deprivation

In humans, it has been demonstrated that the metabolic activity of the brain decreases
significantly after 24 hours of sustained wakefulness. Sleep deprivation causes a decrease in
body temperature, a decrease in immune system function as measured by white blood cell
count and a decrease in the release of growth hormone. Sleep deprivation can also cause
increased heart rate variability. People who are constantly sleep deprived have high tendency
to be more vulnerable to diseases owing to impairment of immune system. Likewise, sleep
deprivation also makes them drowsy, which causes them to have poor performance in work
and tasks that requires mental and physical activity such as mathematical calculations and
driving due to impaired focus. Therefore, the person’s ability to carry out daily work is
inhibited substantially.

The release of growth hormone in children and young adults is deemed as essential to
aid the cells in the body to increase production and reduce breakdown of proteins during deep
sleep. Besides, sleep also helps humans to maintain optimal emotional and social functioning.
This is because we can give rest to the parts of the brain which control our emotion and social
interactions. Hence, we can control our emotion and able to prevent the outburst of emotion.

Previous animal studies have clearly shown that sleep is irrefutably an essential tool
for survival. The normal life span of a rat is around 2 to 3 years. Nevertheless, rats which face
sleep deprivation constantly live for only around 3 weeks. They also develop unusually low
body temperatures and have sores grow on their tails and paws. The formation of the sores is
probably due to the impairment of the rats’ immune systems as rate of protein synthesis and
cell division are inhibited, causing less and less protein available to produce antibodies to
fight against diseases.
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As we know, sleep deprivation severely affects brain functions. In a study conducted

by the UCSD School of Medicine and the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System in San Diego
in year 2000, they used functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology to monitor
and observe brain activity of sleep-deprived subjects performing simple verbal learning tasks.
The study showed that areas of the brain's prefrontal cortex in the sleepier subjects exhibited
more activity than less sleepier subjects. This is due to the fact that the brain would
sometimes try to compensate for the severe effects caused by lack of sleep. The temporal
lobe, a brain area critical in language processing, was activated during verbal learning in
rested subjects but not in sleep deprived subjects. However, the parietal lobe was not
activated in rested subjects during the verbal exercise but it was more active when the
subjects were sleep-deprived. Although memory task was less successful in the subjects with
sleep deprivation, greater activity in the parietal region indicated better memory.

In a 2001 study carried out by Chicago Medical Institute, the results indicated that
sleep deprivation may be correlated to serious diseases, such as heart disease and mental
illnesses like psychosis and bipolar disorder. Moreover, study by University of California in
year 2002 discovered that REM sleep was important for blocking neurotransmitters and
allowing the neurotransmitter receptors to "rest" and regain sensitivity which subsequently
leads to better regulation of mood and increased in learning ability. Non REM sleep may
allow enzymes to repair cell damage in brain caused by free radicals. High metabolic activity
of the brain during wakefulness damages the enzymes, which in turn prevent the efficient
repair of damaged cells. The study observed that sleep deprivation causes brain damage in
rats. Animal studies also suggest that sleep deprivation increases stress hormones that reduce
new cell production in adult brains.

Literature Reviews

Irrefutably, sleep deprivation is no longer a common disorder in this advanced century

as it affects most of the adolescents, ranging from 13 years old to 19 years old. It is a disorder
that disturbs their circadian rhythms, causes them to have irregular and inadequate hours of
sleep, and results in their failure of performing physical and mental tasks precisely and
accurately. Several factors are perceived to be correlated with insufficient of sleep in
adolescents. Some exemplifications encompass addiction of playing video games and surfing
internet, stress from examinations, and doing homework. Therefore, it is hypothesized that
the main reason that contributes to the skipping of sleep by adolescent is addiction of playing
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computer games. The following four literature reviews attempt to support and contradict this
hypothesis.

In a research article by Martha Hansen (2005), he initiated a study to examine the

impact of starting school on adolescent sleep, to compare weekday and weekend sleep times,
and to attempt to normalize the timing of the circadian sleep and wake cycle by administering
bright light in the morning. The main focus of this research was to contribute information to
the scientific community while educating students about research processes and their own
sleep and wake cycles and patterns. It was hypothesized that high school start times
contributes to sleep sacrifice among the teenagers.

The subjects comprised of sixty incoming high school seniors who kept sleep and
wake diaries beginning in August and continuing through 2 weeks after the start of school in
September. The participants were distributed sleep-diary packets included record-keeping
sheets, on which students recorded the date, bedtime and wake time. They kept these diaries
were kept for the month of August, the first 2 weeks of September, the last week of October,
the first 3 weeks of November and the entire month of February. Diaries written by the
subjects were then gathered for the analysis of data. Early-morning light treatments were
administered to 19 students in the last 2 weeks of November and February. Next, paper-and-
pencil tests were used for assessment of mood and vigor. The tests were carried out for 2
consecutive days at the beginning and end of November and February, in the morning before
school (6:30–8:00 AM), during lunch periods (11:30 AM to 1:00 PM), and in the afternoon
(3:00–4:30 PM).

All of these results combined to show that the students lost as much as 2 hours of
sleep per night in the week after the start of school, and duration of sleep during weekend was
also about 30 minutes longer than that seen before the start of school. This again contradicts
with our hypothesis. They most probably sacrificed their sleep to study harder, do homework
and assignments given by the school teachers. Exposure of early-morning light treatments
did not change total hours of sleep per night and wake cycle or enhance the daytime
performance of the students in the school. All students are observed to perform better in the
afternoon than in the morning. Besides, students in early morning classes reported being more
tired and being less alert as they did not have adequate amount of sleep. In short, the results
of this research have demonstrated that the start of high school contributes to sleep
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deprivation among teenagers possibly due to tougher course structures and increase in amount
of homework.

In another research article by Ahmad Ghanizadeh (2007), this research aims to

analyse sleep patterns and habits in Iranian children of high school age. The subjects were
1,420 high school students selected randomly by the researchers. A questionnaire that
included items about usual sleep and wake behaviours over the previous month, such as sleep
schedule, falling asleep in class, fatigue or sleepiness during the day and difficulty waking up
in the morning was used to carry out this research.

The results show that the mean duration of night sleep among the high school students
was 7.7 hours. The mean was consistent among the students regardless of gender and grade
level. Also, the mean time of waking up in the morning was the same between boys and girls.
Around 9.9% of the girls and 4.6% of the boys felt that their quality of sleep was bad, and
58% of them reported sleepiness during the day. 4.2% of the subjects had used medication in
order to sleep. The prevalence of daytime sleepiness in Iran students significantly rose from
grade 9 to 12. The percentage for the students feeling sleepiness increased from 2.1% to
3.2%, 3.2% to 10.7%, and 10.7% to 13.9% respectively.

The time of sleeping was related to grade level. The adolescents in Iran reported
sleeping later as they got older. This might be due to less parental influence, more usage of
the computer, or on increase in the homework. All of these results combined contradict our
hypothesis by suggesting that stress from examination is the main factor that causes the
students in Iran to have short sleep duration. The emphasis put on education during high
school years in Iran is for the students to pass the national university entrance examination at
the end of the high school period. The students are expected to shorten their sleep in order to
study harder in all grade levels of high school. Hence, it is not surprising if the students in
Iran are willing to sacrifice their sleep in order to study harder to achieve excellent results in
the examination. Outstanding results in national entrance examination will definitely secure
them a place in university. However, when they sacrifice their sleep, the process of repair and
restoration cannot take place efficiently. Hence, they reported feeling sleepiness during
daytime and this impaired their learning ability in the school.

Apart from that, Chang Kook Yang (2004) conducted a research to investigate and
elucidate the factors that contribute to the sleep deprivation among Korean teenagers.
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Irrefutably, many changes occur in sleep and wake patterns as Korean children go through
the transition from childhood to adolescence. These shifts have been shown to cause in
corresponding shifts in later sleep onset and sleep deprivation among teenagers in Western
societies. Several researchers have reported that many adolescents do not receive enough
amount of sleep. Therefore, this study intends to quantify age-related changes in sleep and
wake patterns among Korean teenagers and elucidate factors causing these changes. The
researcher administered The School Sleep Habits Survey in homeroom classes to students
from grades 5 to 12 who have the mean age of about 13.7 ± 2.4 years. 1487 students from 7
elementary schools, 14 junior high schools and 13 high schools located in Busan, Korea were
invited to participate in the survey about sleep habits. The School Sleep Habits Survey asks
about usual sleep and wake patterns of the students over the past 2 weeks. The survey
encompassed the daytime-sleepiness scale, which measure sleepiness on a scale of 10 to 40,
with higher scores reflecting more intense feeling of sleepiness; the sleep and wake-problems
behaviors scale, which consists of problems related with sleep and wake behavior (for
instances, tardiness because of oversleeping, falling asleep in class, tiredness or sleepiness
during the day, difficulty getting up in the morning) and range from 10 to 40, with higher
scores showing more sleep-related problems.

The research had discovered that the higher the grade of the students, the later
bedtime was found to be on both school days and weekends. There was a positive relationship
between increasing grade and earlier wake time on school days as well as between higher
grades and later wake time on weekends. Total sleep time of the students was decreased by
about 3 hours on school nights and 1 hour on weekend nights increasing from grades 5 to 12.
Korean adolescents were adversely sleep deprived, with mean school-night total sleep times
of 6.02 hours, 5.62 hours, and 4.86 hours for 10th-graders, 11th-graders, and 12th-graders
respectively. Also, the magnitude of weekend oversleeps increased in the higher grades.
Higher graders reported more daytime sleepiness along with more sleep and wake-problem
behaviors.

Korean society puts emphasis on education and also has a strong tradition of
Confucianism, which related family honor with personal identity and success. Therefore,
performance on the college entrance examination taken at the end of high school brings
enormous social and psychological importance to the students. This causes the students to be
under intense academic pressure. In such a highly stressful and competitive atmosphere, most
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Korean students chose to attend private educational institutions in the evening or at night,
thus further reducing their time available for sleep. Consequently, Korean adolescents are
most likely to face sleep deprivation as they did not have adequate sleep. This research also
contradicts our hypothesis by suggestion that stress from examination contributes to sleep
deprivation among teenagers in Korea. One limitation to this research is that the respondents
are not representative of the entire students in Korea although the students are chosen from
second biggest city in Korea which is Busan. The researchers are probably reasoning by
using representative heuristic.

Next, the topic of sleep deprivation is addressed according to playing computer

games. In a research articles by Jan Van den Bulck (2004), he attempted to investigate the
relationship between the presence of a computer games, and an Internet connection in the
room of adolescents, computer game playing, and Internet use on the time to sleep and wake
up, time spent in bed, and overall tiredness in first- and fourth-year secondary-school
children.

The students from 15 schools in Flanders, Belgium were randomly chosen as the
subjects to be investigated. There were 2546 children from the 15 schools who completed a
questionnaire with questions about media presence particularly gaming computer and internet
connection in bedrooms. They were also asked about to what extent the presence of computer
game playing and Internet use influenced their time to sleep and time to wake up on average
weekdays and average weekend days. Questions regarding the level of tiredness in the
morning during school, after a day at school, and after the weekend were also addressed
through the questionnaire given to them.

As expected, the results collected from the questionnaire shows that children with a
gaming computer in their rooms went to sleep much later on weekdays. During weekdays,
they sacrifice their sleep in order to play computer games. This caused them to spend less
time in sleeping. Hence, they reported feeling tired on the next day. Also, those who spent
more time in playing computer games went to bed later on weekend days and woke up later
on weekend days. During weekdays, they actually woke up earlier because they need to go to
school. Undeniably, those who did not have adequate amount of sleep on weekdays reported
higher levels of tiredness. On the other hand, children who spent more time using the Internet
connection went to bed much later during the weekdays and also during the weekends. They
woke up later on weekend days compared to weekdays as they do not need to go to school.
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Similarly, those who sacrifice their sleep to surf internet during the weekdays reported higher
levels of tiredness. This research demonstrates and supports our hypothesis by showing that
media influence such as computer game playing and Internet use are highly related to change
in sleep pattern. This research supports our hypothesis that teenagers tend to sacrifice their
sleep to play computer games. Computer games are addictive to some people who cannot
restrain themselves from indulging in the activity of playing games. However, one limitation
to this research is that the use of questionnaire is an inconclusive and inaccurate way to
collect results as some of the children may conceal the truth by not answering honestly. In
such way, the results gathered by the researchers may not be accurate and conclusive.
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METHODOLOGY

This experiment was to study the cause of late night sleep among teenagers. Our
hypothesis was that playing computer games was the main reason teenagers neglect sleep.

1) PARTICIPANTS

All participants were students of Inti International University College. They consisted
of fifty participants, both male and female, with an age range of 17-19 years old. In order to
get a more representative data of the Inti International College students, the respondents were
randomly picked in various locations such as cafeteria, dining hall and SAO concourse and
consisted of various races - Malay, Chinese and Indian. Most of the participants are studying
different courses. They all understood English and they agreed to complete our questionnaire
voluntarily. All the participants are undoubtedly come from different family backgrounds and
have various socio-economical backgrounds as well.

2) APPARATUS AND MEASURES

The foremost way for us to get results to be analyzed for this research is via the
distribution of questionnaires. Ten questions were drafted, ranging from cause of sleeping
late to the bad effects of lack of sleep. These questions were typed in Microsoft Word, and
the answers were given, with boxes beside them to allow participants to tick where
applicable. The questionnaire has 9 multiple choice questions and 1 subjective question
which ask about the opinion of the respondents towards the hazard of sacrificing sleep. After
doing so, the questionnaires were printed out. The name of the questionnaire was “Sleep
Deprivation among Teenagers”. Some of the sample questions were: “What time do you
always sleep?” and “What do you normally do till you sacrifice your sleep?”

3) PROCEDURE

In the beginning, we are assigned with a psychology research by our Psychology

lecturer, Mr. Shankar as a part of coursework requirement. After discussing among our group
members, we decide to choose “Why the teenagers are willing to sacrifice their sleep which
leads sleep deprivation?” as our topic for the research. Next, we did our proposal post-haste
to submit to Mr. Shankar in order to be approved by him. After getting the approval from
him, we drafted our questionnaire which consists of 10 questions for the sake of research.
Following the birth of our questionnaire, we printed out 50 identical copies of our
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questionnaire to be distributed to the respondents who are primarily comprised of students in

Inti International College, Nilai. The place for the collection of data was within Inti
International University campus in strategic places such as cafeteria, dining hall, SAO
concourse and so on. The aim of the study was explained verbally to the participants before
they participated in our survey. The participants were then given a chance to ask any
questions before they fill up the questionnaire. Written consent was obtained from each
volunteered participant before they proceeded to filing up the questionnaire. The
questionnaires were then handed to the participants to be filled up. We explained to the
participants to tick the answers where appropriate. We waited until the completed surveys
were returned to us. The participants were told that they would be given a copy of the result
by email if they had requested for it, and also all information provided in the survey remained
confidential. Later on, the questionnaires attempted by the respondents were collected for
data analysis. Next, graphs are plotted using Microsoft Excel to present the data in a
systematic way. The graphic presentation of the data was followed by the interpretation and
analysis of the data.
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RESULTS

QUESTION 1: WHAT TIME DO YOU ALWAYS SLEEP?

What time do you No. of

always sleep? respondent

8 – 10 pm 1
10 – 12 pm 13
12 – 2 am 26
> 2 am 10

The range of time of sleep was categorized into four categories, which was from 8-10
pm, 10-12 pm, 12-2 am and later than 2 am. The majority of the respondents 52% on average
slept between 12 am to 2 am. A smaller majority which was 26% go to bed between 10 pm to
12 pm. Only 20% slept later than 2 am on most nights. Finally, the minority of 2% slept very
early, between 8 pm to 10 pm.

QUESTION 2: WHAT DO YOU USUALLY DO AT NIGHT?

What do you usually No. of

do at night? respondent

Study 25
Surfing internet 13
Play computer games 3
Others 9
 SLEEP DEPRIVATION 18

To know what were the most common activities carried out by respondents at night, they
were categorized into four major activities. They were studying, surfing the internet, playing
computer games and others. Majority of the respondents, 50% of them, preferred studying.
This was followed by the second highest majority of 26%. This group preferred surfing the
internet. Next, 18% of respondents chose to do other activities that those that were stated in
our questionnaire. And lastly, only 6% preferred playing computer games.

QUESTION 3: HOW MANY HOURS DO YOU SLEEP PER DAY?

How many hours No. of

do you sleep per respondent
day?
8 – 10 7
6-8 30
4–6 11
<4 2

Graph above shows the number of hours that they mostly sleep per day. They were given
4 choices of range of time that they spent sleeping every day. The number of hours were 8 –
10 hours, 6 – 8 hours, 4 – 6 hours, and lastly, below than 4 hours.

The red colour on the pie graph referred to the number of respondent that slept 6 – 8
hours per day. They comprised of the majority (60%) of the respondents. Next, the green part
of the graph represented the number of respondents that mostly sleep only 4 – 6 hours per
day. It consisted 22% of them.

Then, a smaller 14% of them slept 8 – 10 hours per day. Finally, 4% of them slept below
than 4 hours per day. This was the minority group of respondents among others.

QUESTION 4: HOW FREQUENTLY DO YOU SLEEP LATE IN A WEEK?

 SLEEP DEPRIVATION 19

How frequently No. of

do you sleep late respondent
in a week?
Always 24
Sometimes 16
Seldom 9
Never 1

The dark brown bar represented the majority of respondents always slept late in a week.
It consisted of 48% of them. This was followed by 32% of them who sometimes slept late in
a week.

Next, the yellow bar represented the number of respondents that seldom sleep late in a
week. This consisted of only 18% of them. Finally, there was also a respondent that never
sleep late in a week which made up only 2%, the lowest percentage among all.

QUESTION 5: WHAT DO YOU NORMALLY DO TILL YOU SACRIFICE YOUR

SLEEP?

What do you
normally do till No. of
you sacrifice respondent
your sleep?
Study 20
Surfing internet 16
Play computer 4
games
Others 10
 SLEEP DEPRIVATION 20

The study results provided a high percentage of studying and surfing the internet. As
shown by the dark green cylindrical shape graph, 40% which is the majority among the
respondents preferred studying late at night until they were willing to sacrifice their sleep.
This was followed by a slightly smaller group of 32% of them that preferred surfing the
internet.

A smaller percentage which is 20% preferred doing other activities that were not listed
in the questionnaire. Finally, the minority of 8% of the respondents preferred play computer
games at night rather than sleeping.

QUESTION 6: HOW MANY HOURS DO YOU SPEND DOING THE ACTIVITY

ABOVE?

How many hours

do you spend No. of
doing the activity respondent
above?
<2 12
2–4 18
4–6 14
>6 6

The pie chart above shows the amount of hours that most of respondent spent doing the
activities they chose to do in the previous question. Majority of respondents that was 36% of
them spent 2 - 4 hours carrying out their preferable activity. This was shown by red part
from the graph. Then, it was followed by 28% of them who spent 4 – 6 hours doing their
passionate activity until they sacrificed their sleep at night.

Next, the blue part of the pie chart shows that 24% of the respondents spent less than 2
hours carrying out their preferred activity. And lastly, the purple part the chart shows that
only 12% of them spent more than 6 hours to conduct their activities rather than sleep at
night.

QUESTION 7: WHY ARE YOU SO HOOKED ONTO YOUR ACTIVITY THAT YOU
ARE WILLING TO SACRIFICE YOUR SLEEP?
 SLEEP DEPRIVATION 21

Why are you so

hooked onto
your activity No. of
that you are respondent
willing to
sacrifice your
sleep?
Fun 21
Addictive 9
Prepare for exam 18
Others 2

Fun and enjoyment were the main reason why the respondents were so hooked onto their
activity that they were willing to sacrifice their sleep. The graph displays a 42% who picked
this reason and is represented by the blue cone in the graph. It was followed by 36% of them
that said that they were preparing for their examinations. It is the yellow cone that represents
the percentage of this answer.

Next, 18% of them said that the activities that they were doing at night was addictive.
That was why they sacrificed their sleep. In the graph, this was represented by the green cone
graph. Lastly, 4% of them answered others. This meant that they had their own answers and
stand other than the answers provided.

QUESTION 8: HOW WILL YOU FEEL THE FOLLOWING DAY AFTER

SLEEPING LATE?
 SLEEP DEPRIVATION 22

How will you

feel the No. of
following day respondent
after sleeping
late?

Tired 26
Normal 23
Others 1

The pie chart shows the percentages of the answers given by the respondents when
asked on how they feel on the following day after sleeping late. The majority (56%) of them
answered that they felt tired on the following day. On the graph, the blue part represented the
answer. The second largest group, 42% of them said that they do not feel any different and
felt perfectly normal. This was shown by the red part of the pie chart. Finally, only 2% chose
others. The little green part from the graph showed the percentage of this data.

QUESTION 9: DO YOU AGREE THAT SLEEPING LATE IS DETRIMENTAL TO

OUR HEALTH?

Do you agree that

sleeping late is No. of
detrimental to our respondent
health?

Yes 41
No 9

From the pie chart, we can see that, the majority of them agreed that sleeping late was
detrimental to their health. This was represented by dark blue part from the graph and it
consisted of 82% of them.
 SLEEP DEPRIVATION 23

Only 18% of them felt otherwise. This meant that, they totally disagreed that sleeping
late is detrimental to our health. They felt that sleeping late had no bad effects of their health.

QUESTION 10: IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT’S THE DISADVANTAGE OF

SLEEPING LATE?

In your opinion,
what’s the No. of
disadvantage of respondent
sleeping late?
Can’t concentrate 14
Not good for 11
health
Hard to wake up 5
early
Tired 5
Not enough sleep 4
Eyes swollen 1
Tend to snooze 1
alarm clock

This question was an open-ended question. We gave the respondents a space to fill in
their thoughts. From the research, we categorized all the answers into 7 major categories.
From the result, it could be observed that 28% of them said that they can’t concentrate the
next following day in a class. This was shown by the dark blue cone in the graph.

This was followed by 22% of them who said that sleeping late was not good for their
health. The red cone from the graph represented this data. 10% of them held the opinion that
when they slept late, it would be hard to wake up early and another 10% felt that they would
feel tired the next day. These were represented by the green and purple cone respectively.
Next, 8% of them said that, they would not have enough sleep and that was their
disadvantage of sleeping late. The turquoise blue cone represented this result.

Only 2%, the minority felt that the disadvantages of sleeping late were the swollen eyes
and the constant snoozing of their alarm clocks. Brown and grey coloured cones in the graph
represented both this answers respectively.
 SLEEP DEPRIVATION 24

DISCUSSION

(A) Discussion of findings

This study represents the causes of sleeping late at night and the effects of it. The
hypothesis was that the respondents would sleep late due to addiction to computer games.
Initially, we inferred that this would apply most to respondents, especially male respondents.

At first, it was hypothesized that these teenagers were influenced by their friends-
peer pressure and exposure to an environment that, most teenagers of their age would indulge
in computer games. The research by Jan Van den Bulck (2004), showed the relationship
between having the presence of media in their room and sleeping late. Teenagers who had
media, in this case laptops and computers, tend to sleep much later than those who don’t, and
one major factor was the addiction to computer games.

Initially, these teenagers played an adequate number of hours a day. However, after a
prolonged period of time, they became addicted to the computer games. Addiction was
caused when they enjoyed playing computer games, and thus became a habit. In a biological
perspective, when they played computer games to release stress or for enjoyment, dopamine
was released and this caused a feeling of euphoria. They constantly needed to play adequate
hours to gain the same amount feelings; hence this caused addiction and became habitual.

However, the results proved otherwise. Most respondents slept between 12-2 am
every night, and instead of playing computer games as hypothesized, they picked studying as
the activity they do for substitution of adequate sleeping hours. Although the male
respondents outnumbered female ones, it was evident that most respondents overall preferred
studying to playing computer games. Perhaps this was because most of the respondents were
scholars and were very much motivated to achieve good grades. This was also due to
environment. As the other scholars around them were studying equally hard, this had shaped
their behaviour of studying. There was a strong culture of studying many hours a day, or even
late at night, especially among the college students in Inti International University College, as
most of them slept late too anyway. On the other hand, less people played computer games
mainly because the internet services in Inti International University College was unable to
 SLEEP DEPRIVATION 25

support such a high broadband speed as the free service had to accommodate all the students
living in the hostel area. Moreover, most of the respondents used their laptops only for study
purposes- for assignments and research.

The majority of respondents also slept only around 6-8 hours each day. They felt that
6-8 hours are sufficient for their body and mind to function normally the next day. For those
who slept above 8 hours, they were students who needed enough sleep and most likely it had
been their culture to sleep more than 8 hours a day. Hence, their habit cannot be changed and
was continued as they age. There were only two respondents who slept less than 4 hours.
They too, might have been exposed to very little sleep since young and their circadian cycle
had been adapted to it. Therefore, with less than four hours, their daily activities would not be
very much affected, though it was not absolute that they were not tired the next morning.
Most of the sleeping habits were shaped since young and were very difficult to change.

Again, a very large group of 24 respondents always slept late in a week. The School
Sleep Habits Survey found that the higher the grade, the later students go to bed. It was very
likely that they were constantly studying and keeping up with college assignments, a
definitely more hectic lifestyle than they had before back in high school. This was also
because all of them were doing the American University Program course of the South
Australian Matriculation Program which required consistent studying for preparation for tests
and examinations which spanned throughout the whole semester. Hence, this continuous
studying led them to sleeping late almost every day of the week. A slightly smaller group of
16 respondents slept late sometimes, maybe because they needed to replenish their sleep after
lacking sleep a few days before. These respondents also might not take afternoon naps to
restore their energy, therefore they alternate late nights and early nights sleep. Another 9
seldom slept late and 1 never slept late because they were not used to it.

As stated above, majority of respondents slept late because of studying. The second
cause of late nights was surfing the internet. With personal laptops, most respondents surfed
the internet and left their laptops on while doing work or other activities after class. Very
often, they logged into their instant messengers to chat with their friends, and participate in
virtual social networks like Facebook, Friendster and so on. Some played online games and
surfed the internet for updating themselves with global news, be it politics, entertainment or
sports. This again can be referred to Jan Van den Bulck (2004)’s research on the presence of
 SLEEP DEPRIVATION 26

media in the room, where with Internet, teenagers are likely to sacrifice their sleep for the
enjoyment of the media.

The majority, 21 respondents stated that they did their late night activities for fun.
This was because they derived enjoyment from the activities they did, hence the enjoyment
was a good substitute for their sleep, which they deemed as less important. Another large
group of people, 18 respondents said their reason was to prepare for exam, which was the
core purpose of studying. Only 9 respondents said the activity they did was addictive and
they continued to pursue the activity for pleasure.

As for sleeping late, the majority, 26 respondents claimed that they felt tired and
could not exercise their full concentration the next morning. They had a certain level of
fatigue which caused their mind to lose focus because their body is not restored. According to
repair and restoration theory, the body needs time to recover for the next day. The Columbia
Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition (2008) also stated that “Sleeping is also a time of repair and
growth, and some tissues, e.g., epithelium, proliferate more rapidly during sleep.” (quote).
This proves that the muscles need enough rest that allow them to go through regeneration.
Sleep deprived people tend to exhibit poor performance in activities they carry out, because
their muscles are not active enough to accommodate the fast pace of our lives, and we feel
tired extremely easily.

The majority of the respondents, 41 of them agreed that sleeping late was detrimental
for health. With lack of sleep, the body would not be refreshed for the next day, especially the
mind - lack of focus occurred. According to the repair and restoration theory, sleep deprived
people were more prone to sickness rather those who slept adequate hours. The illnesses
caught by sleep deprived people were due to the weakening of the immune system overtime.
Without enough rest, the body became overworked, immune system depression set in, and
these illnesses often started off with minor ones like cough, sore throat and flu. After a
prolonged period of time, it would become much worse, causing various serious illnesses
because the body was constantly exposed to a bacterial environment and there were not
enough antibodies to prevent bacteria intrusion into our body.

All respondents believed that there were many disadvantages to sleeping late. In this
open-ended response question, they gave their opinions and the disadvantages were clearly
 SLEEP DEPRIVATION 27

observed among those who slept late. The most common response was being unable to
concentrate in class, which was often exhibited through physiological symptoms like
yawning, watery eyes, or even sleeping during lectures!

Some argued that it was bad for health, as discussed earlier. Next was the difficulty to
waking up the next morning, especially for morning classes. The respondents felt extreme
fatigue and tiredness. This tiredness made them want to stay in bed longer, hence not wanting
to wake up.

They would also have a perception on how many hours of sleep were adequate for
them; or rather known is their “normal sleeping hours”. Being sleep deprived, the
respondents always claimed that they ‘do not have enough sleep’ as they slept less hours than
their normal sleep. This psychological thinking made them feel tired, though they might not
actually have been so tired even with less sleep itself.

There was only one respondent who said that he/she would snooze the alarm as a
result of lack of sleep. This was closely related to difficulty waking up. Since students always
set their alarm earlier than the time intended, they tend to let their alarm snooze a few times
before waking up. Some even shut the alarm completely; going back to sleep and most of the
time overslept.

A few researchers have conducted researches on the same topic, which is late sleep
and sleep deprivation among students, and our findings varied from some of them. As
compared to Jan Van Den Bulck’s research on the effects of media (television, Internet,
computer games) and own-reported bed time on the time secondary school children went to
bed. This research overlaid his in certain parts, that although with the presence of Internet,
computer games are not the only major caused these teenagers go to bed late. Jan Van Den
Bulck cited the Internet, leisure activities and going out to have strong correlations with late
sleeping too. This is where this research differed, as we had obtained another result, a
different area and perspective as to why college students went to bed, and the reason was
studying.

There was also another research which started off with a different aim, but obtained
the same results as this research. The research “The School Sleeping Habits Survey” on
Korean students concluded that the students in Korea slept later when they were in a higher
grade. This was due to the amount of academic work and constant examinations that made
 SLEEP DEPRIVATION 28

earlier bedtimes difficult to be part of their sleeping routine. This reason was very closely
related to the findings of this research, where the college students studied at night to keep up
with the pace of their academic work. In a higher grade (college in this case), the number of
subjects were increased, and the depth and understanding of the subjects increased
proportionally. Students had to juggle many subjects at once in every semester, and with all
lecturers of each subject moving at such fast pace, students had no time to relax or afford
sleeping early.

The effects of sleep deprivation obtained from this research were very similar to those
of other researchers. Morning sleepiness and falling asleep in classrooms are the most
common (The school Sleeping Habits Survey, Ahmad Ghanizadeh, (2007) and Chang Kook
Yang (2004)). Morning sleepiness was often related to depressed moods, which usually arose
from tiredness and lack of concentrated. Students ‘do not have the mood’ to do anything at all
for the whole day and wanted to sleep in, but their schedule wouldn’t allow them to do so,
hence depression took place.
 SLEEP DEPRIVATION 29

(B) Limitations

There are certain limitations in our research. First of all, all our respondents were Inti
International University College’s students, hence the scope of students were limited to this
particular college. Even though there were international students in the college, they were not
participants in our research. The data might not be accurate because the respondents, mostly
JPA students were brought up in a very similar culture, hence it might have a certain
influence on their sleeping cycle.

Besides that, the questionnaires that we distributed might not have reflected the exact
answers and opinions of the respondents. This was because the answers that we provided did
not cover a very wide range. Since this was our first time carrying out a research, we did not
really know what the specific questions would be.

For future research, these are all the suggestions to overcome the same problems that
we have faced in this research or potential problems that we will face in a future research.

Firstly, the respondents that are going to be involved in the research should be varied.
International students with varied backgrounds and cultures which might influence their
perceptions and lifestyles should also be involved so that we can get a more accurate result.

Besides that, we could also conduct a mock research before the real one. The
feedback gained from the mock research can be used a potential answers or choices in the
questionnaire for the real research. Thus, we can cover a greater range of answers and ideas.
 SLEEP DEPRIVATION 30

CONCLUSION

The findings of this study lead to a number of conclusions. Firstly, the study shows
that, most of the respondents influence by their friends and environment in getting stuck with
sleeping late habit. Laptop and other media devices are an example of the factor that brings
them to have this habit. Other media play and equally important part in the lives of young
people and can have a very similar impact.

Secondly, the result leads to the hypothesis that sleep can be replaced with others
activities. For them, sleep can be replaced with other activities such as studying, and surfing
internet, playing games and so on. They do their late night activities just for fun and
enjoyment, or in a more academic perspective, to prepare for examinations. They do not
realize that by doing all this activities rather than sleep, they are prone to many illnesses. This
is due to the weakening of the immune system because of the overworked body. Cough, sore
throat and flu can infect them and with continuous late night sleep, the body becomes much
weaker and more serious illnesses will set in.

The present findings therefore state that, sleep deprivation can also affect the way that
we think and the way that we act. This is because sleep actually allows the body time to
recover from the exertions of the day. For people who suffer sleep deprivation, they are very
often not able to perform simple tasks normally the next day. Although restorative functions
also can take place during the wake state, we still need to sleep no matter how active of
otherwise we were during the day. The major factor is that our body wears out no matter
what, and hence energy needs to be restored and the best way is by sleeping.

Finally, from the research, we know that sleep deprivation can bring more negative
side effects to young people. Even though it looks like a small problem, but it can affect
mostly our future lifestyles. For young people that have this sleeping late habit, they say that
it is normal as they are still young and full of energy, but, the effects only set in when they
start to age. This study suggests that it would be better to avoid all sleeping late habits rather
than face various problems in the future.
 SLEEP DEPRIVATION 31

Our research adds to the existing literature review because the results obtained were
very similar. The students slept later as they were in higher grades, and that they slept late
based on quite similar reasons – studying, surfing the internet, playing computer games and
so on. Another point of similarity is the disadvantages of sleeping late or being sleep
deprived. Almost all previous researches advocated the stand that sleeping late had various
disadvantages, and its effects can be observed in the short run (the following day) or in the
long run (health deterioration in years to come).
 SLEEP DEPRIVATION 32

REFERENCE

Websites

 Ahmad Ghanizadeh (2007) – Sleep patterns and habits in high school students in
Iran http://www.annals-general-psychiatry.com/content/7/1/5

 Chang-Kook Yang, PhD (2004) - Age-Related Changes in Sleep/Wake Patterns

Among Korean Teenagers
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/reprint/115/1/S1/250
 eMedicineHealth – Sleep- Understanding the Basics
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/sleep_understanding_the_basics/article_em.htm
 Manchester Evening News - Children Kept Awake by Computers and Games
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/business/s/85/85453_children_kept_
awake_by_computers_and_games.html

 Martha Hansen, MS (2005) - The Impact of School Daily Schedule on Adolescent

Sleep http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/115/6/1555

 Sleep Deprivation.com – Causes and Effects of Sleep Deprivation

http://www.sleep-deprivation.com/
 Sleepdex – Resources for Better Sleep
http://www.sleepdex.org/stages.htm

 The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition (2008) – Definition of Sleep

http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-sleep.html

 Van den Bulck J. Television viewing, computer game playing, and internet use and
self reported time to bed and time out of bed in secondary-school children.
http://www.journalsleep.org/Articles/270112.pdf

Books
 SLEEP DEPRIVATION 33

 James W. Kalat North Carolina State University (1992). Introduction to Psychology

3rd edition. Altered States, 181 to 187.

APPENDIX 1
Sleep Deprivation among Teenagers

1) What time do you always sleep?

8-10pm 10-12am 12-2am later than 2am

2) What do you usually do at night?

Study surf internet play computer games others (please specify):_________

3) How many hours do you sleep per day?

8-10 6-8 4-6 less than 4

4) How frequently do you sleep late in a week?

always sometimes seldom never

5) What do you normally do till you sacrifice your sleep?

study surf internet play computer games others(please specify):________

6) How many hours do you spend doing the activity above?

less than 2 hours 2-4 hours 4-6 hours more than 6 hours

7) Why are you so hooked onto the activity that you are willing to sacrifice your sleep?
fun addictive prepare for exam others(please specify):___________
8) How will you feel the following day after sleeping late?
tired normal others(please specify):___________

9) Do you agree that sleeping late is detrimental to our health?

yes no
 SLEEP DEPRIVATION 34

10) In your opinion, what is the disadvantage of sleeping late?

APPENDIX 2
Consent Form for Respondents
Researchers
1) Teuh Kang Beng I08002010
2) Wan Khye Theng I08002012
3) Abdul Fatah Firdaus bin Abu Hanipah I08001968
Respondents
Name: Age:
Email address/ Phone number: Gender:

Thank you for agreeing to participate in this study which will take place from 26th August
2008 to 9th September 2008. This form outlines the purposes of the study and provides a
description of your involvement and rights as a participant.

The purposes of this project are:

1) to fulfil a course requirement for PSY 105, taught by Mr.Shankar.
2) to gain insight and experience in the topic of ‘Why are teenagers willing to sacrifice their
sleep at night’.

NOTES:
You are encouraged to ask any questions at any time about the nature of the study and the
methods that I am using. Your suggestions and concerns are important to me; please contact
me at any time at the address/phone number listed above.

I will use the information from this study to write a case report about you (the respondent).
This report will be read by you, the course instructor, and optionally, by one other person if
you give permission, in order to check on the accuracy of the report. The case report will not
be available to any other person to be read without your permission.
 SLEEP DEPRIVATION 35

I guarantee that the following conditions will be met:

1) Your real name will not be used at any point of information collection, or in the written
case report; instead, you and any other person and place names involved in your case will be
given pseudonyms that will be used in all verbal and written records and reports.

2) If you grant permission for audio taping, no audio tapes will be used for any purpose other
than to do this study, and will not be played for any reason other than to do this study. At
your discretion, these tapes will either be destroyed or returned to you.

3) Your participation in this research is voluntary; you have the right to withdraw at any
point of the study, for any reason, and without any prejudice, and the information collected
and records and reports written will be turned over to you.

4) You will receive a copy of the final report before it is handed in, so that you have the
opportunity to suggest changes to the researcher, if necessary.

5) You will receive a copy of the report that is handed in to the instructor.

Do you grant permission to be quoted directly? Yes ______ No ______

Do you grant permission to be audiotaped? Yes ______ No ______

I agree to the terms

Respondent: ___________________________ Date _____________

I agree to the terms:

Researchers: ___________ Date_______________
 SLEEP DEPRIVATION 36

APPENDIX 3

Article 1

How Much Sleep Do We Really Need?

By Ellen Caroll,

You hear the advice that people need eight hours of sleep, but does that apply to every
person? What about children, teens and older people? Many people seem to get by on less
than eight so...

How Much Sleep Do We Really Need?

Ellen Caroll has often asked herself this exact question – especially when it comes to
helping her family members get the amount of sleep they need. With a son in preschool and a
daughter in high school, a husband who works over 50 hours a week and aging parents, one
with Parkinson's disease, Ellen's family runs the gamut when it comes to age and sleep needs.
Because all of Ellen's family members have busy schedules, they often forget to put their
sleep needs ahead of their other priorities. Not only does Ellen need to convince her family
that getting the right amount of sleep is important, but she also needs to figure out how much
sleep they really need!

If you're like Ellen and her family, you're probably also confused about how to know
when "enough is enough" in regards to your sleep. While news media and health
organizations are regularly saying to get more sleep, it might be unclear to you how many
hours of sleep you should be getting and how to tell if you are adequately rested. Keep
reading and we’ll explore how you can make educated decisions about your sleep and that of
your family members'.

What the Research Says About Sleep Duration

The first thing experts will tell you about sleep is that there is no "magic number."
Not only do different age groups need different amounts of sleep, but sleep needs are also
 SLEEP DEPRIVATION 37

individual. Just like any other characteristics you are born with, the amount of sleep you need
to function best may be different for you than for someone who is of the same age and
gender. While you may be at your absolute best sleeping seven hours a night, someone else
may clearly need nine hours to have a happy, productive life. In fact, a 2005 study confirmed
the fact that sleep needs vary across populations, and the study calls for further research to
identify traits within genes that may provide a "map" to explain how sleep needs differ
among individuals.

Another reason there is "no magic number" for your sleep results from two different
factors that researchers are learning about: a person’s basal sleep need – the amount of sleep
our bodies need on a regular basis for optimal performance – and sleep debt, the accumulated
sleep that is lost to poor sleep habits, sickness, awakenings due to environmental factors or
other causes. Two studies suggest that healthy adults have a basal sleep need of seven to eight
hours every night, but where things get complicated is the interaction between the basal need
and sleep debt. For instance, you might meet your basal sleep need on any single night or a
few nights in a row, but still have an unresolved sleep debt that may make you feel more
sleepy and less alert at times, particularly in conjunction with circadian dips, those times in
the 24-hour cycle when we are biologically programmed to be more sleepy and less alert,
such as overnight hours and mid-afternoon. You may feel overwhelmingly sleepy quite
suddenly at these times, shortly before bedtime or feel sleepy upon awakening. The good
news is that some research suggests that the accumulated sleep debt can be worked down or
"paid off."

Though scientists are still learning about the concept of basal sleep need, one thing
sleep research certainly has shown is that sleeping too little can not only inhibit your
productivity and ability to remember and consolidate information, but lack of sleep can also
lead to serious health consequences and jeopardize your safety and the safety of individuals
around you.

On the other hand, some research has found that long sleep durations (nine hours or
more) are also associated with increased morbidity (illness, accidents) and mortality (death).
Researchers describe this relationship as a "U-shaped" curve (see illustration) where both
sleeping too little and sleeping too much may put you at risk. This research found that
variables such as low socioeconomic status and depression were significantly associated with
long sleep. Some researchers argue that these other variables might be the cause of the longer
 SLEEP DEPRIVATION 38

sleep: the fact that individuals with low socioeconomic status are more likely to have
undiagnosed illnesses because of poor medical care explains the relationship between low
socioeconomic status, long sleep and morbidity/mortality. Researchers caution that there is
not a definitive conclusion that getting more than nine hours of sleep per night is consistently
linked with health problems and/or mortality in adults, while short sleep has been linked to
both these consequences in numerous studies.

"Currently, there is no strong evidence that sleeping too much has detrimental health
consequences, or even evidence that our bodies will allow us to sleep much beyond what is
required," says Kristen L. Knutson, PhD, Department of Health Studies, University of
Chicago. "There is laboratory evidence that short sleep durations of 4-5 hours have negative
physiological and neurobehavioral consequences. We need similar laboratory and
intervention studies to determine whether long sleep durations (if they can be obtained) result
in physiological changes that could lead to disease before we make any recommendations
against sleep extension."

But a key question is how much is too much or too little. Researchers Shawn
Youngstedt and Daniel Kripke reviewed two surveys of more than 1 million adults conducted
by the American Cancer Society and found that the group of people who slept seven hours
had less mortality after six years than those sleeping both more and less. The group of people
who slept shorter amounts and those who slept longer than eight hours had an average
mortality risk that was greater, but the risk was higher for longer sleepers. Youngstedt and
Kripke argue that for those who would normally sleep longer than eight hours, restricting
their sleep may actually be healthier for them, just as eating less than one’s appetite may be
healthier in a more sedentary society.

Article taken from: http://www.sleepfoundation.org