Sleep Deprivation And Youths Essay Research Paper

Sleep Deprivation And Youths Essay, Research Paper

Man was placed on the earth with the basic instinct to survive in a dangerous world. One of these instincts was to rest everyday for a period of time while the sun was down. Today, with our advancements in science and medicine, sleep remains to be one of those basic instincts still to be explained. Mosby s Medical, Nursing, & Allied Health Dictionary defines sleep as a state marked by reduced consciousness, diminished activity of the skeletal muscles, and depressed metabolism (Mosby NP). This definition gives insight to the perspective of sleep by defining it as a state of relaxation within the body. However, what does it do. What higher purpose does it serve. The science behind sleep remains a mystery, but the effects of it and the deprivation of sleep on the body, are displayed daily as an influence in the performance of youths during the day.

An enigma, wrapped within a puzzle comes to mind when thinking of sleep. Sleep is not a tangible object that can be caged and studied. It is more of a concept to be understood. An animal can live without sleep just as long as it can survive without eating (Dahl 354). This fact points out just how important sleep is when considering it a necessity, equal to the necessity of eating. One third of most people s lives are spent asleep, or attempting to sleep (Swanson 96). Facts such as these show little insight into sleep, but show how far science has come in its understanding of the concepts concerning it. Science and technology has attempted to push beyond these concepts by continuing to ask why, designing new experiments to answer their questions. This method of questioning has allowed for an understanding of what sleep is, and how it works.

Researchers have broken the science of sleep into two types that can be measured by brain waves. One phase of sleep called REM (rapid eye movement) sleep is named for the spastic movement of the eyes under the eyelids. Another name for REM sleep is active sleep (Gottlieb 80). REM sleep occurs mostly in the morning hours, and is when dreaming occur. The other type of sleep is called NREM (non-rapid eye movement) sleep, which leaves a sense of refreshment to the body. NREM sleep is also called quiet sleep (Gottlieb 81).

Stages of sleep alternate between REM and NREM states that are characterized by brain waves, muscle activity, eye movements, heart function, and breathing (Cohen 8). These characteristics can be measured using observation, and sophisticated instruments such as an encephalograph (Mosby NP). The encephalograph measures brain waves and records them for analysis. This is how stages are distinguished (Cohen 8). NREM has four stages in it that range from stage I, which is drowsiness, to stage IV, which is deep sleep (Gottlieb 81). Stage I is a short period that lasts about five minutes, and is the transitional period from being drowsy to being asleep. Stage II is often called light sleep, and lasts between ten to forty-five minutes (Cohen 8). Stage III begins the first instance of deep sleep; where the brain, heart, lungs, and muscles relax and slow down. Stage IV is described as the deepest sleep, and together with stage III lasts up to sixty minutes (Cohen 9). NREM occurrences include night terrors, sleeptalking, and sleepwalking (Gottlieb 81), which occur when a body wakes incompletely while they are not dreaming (Cohen 155). Researchers believe that memories are stored in long-term memory during REM sleep. This is due to the activity of nerve cells during REM sleep, which is active sleep (Cohen 9). This understanding of sleep goes beyond the concepts of rest. By digging deeper, researchers have found many logical aspects of sleep that give us insight to understanding. With this understanding, we can see the aspects of health that stem from a resting body.

Today, the health and welfare of the American youth has gone into a slump. One of the essential components of a healthy body is sleep, and today s teenagers just are not getting enough (Bates 32). As a body gets older, the necessities of sleep increases. During sleep, minor damage is repaired such as tissue damage, and minor pains(Cohen 5). This would be especially important for the scrapes and bruises that accompany outside activities for youths. Teenagers push their natural sleep onset later in the night (Bates 32). This is due to the urge of the adolescent to push their bedtime later in the evening (Weissbluth 39). Teenagers need between nine to ten hours of sleep, but most teenagers are getting seven hours of sleep on average (Cohen 187). The main regulator of sleep in the body is the biological clock. It is not an actual body part, but a regulator of the circadian rhythm of the body. The circadian rhythm is the body s knowledge of the time of day, when it is time to sleep, and when it is time to wake (Cohen 6). The biological clock induces sleep using a chemical called melatonin. This chemical sets the time to go to sleep by relaxing the body, putting it to rest. Other chemicals and hormones are also released during sleep that are vital to growth and sexual maturation (Brownlee 54). To growing adolescents, the excretion of these hormones are important in healthy growth and development. This ideal stress the importance of obtaining sufficient sleep each night for teenagers.

Unfortunately, the most common sleep disorder among teenagers is