Sleep

Sleep is important. But just how important?

Effects of Sleep Loss

In one study, one group of adolescents was subjected to sleep deprivation (6.5 hours) vs a control (10 hours). The group that was sleep deprived showed significantly lower quiz scores, more inattentive behaviors, and lower arousal. In addition, sleep is crucial for encoding short-term memories into the long-term ones.

Other studies have shown that sleep deprivation reduces creative functions and divergent thinking. Why does this affect learning so much? Learning is the process of consolidating new rules and ideas. Creative thinking is crucial for integrating new ideas into existing preconceptions. The study points out that although stimulants (caffeine) may restore certain cognitive systems that relate to alertness and attention, other important systems such as those for creativity may not be restored.

Unfortunately, energy drinks are quite romanticized. Smart advertising has contributed to the consumption of very unhealthy products.

It may feel nice to sleep in on the weekends. Just understand that it does not make up for the loss of learning during the weekday.

Sleep Debt and Compensation

Studies have attempted to measure how long it takes to recover from just a few hours of sleep deprivation. Just a few hours of sleep deprivation on one day could take multiple full days of normal sleep to recover from. For adolescents, this is especially troubling, since they frequently go many days of sleep deprivation, which may take up to a month to recover from.

Individuals may try to recover their sleep on weekends (sleep compensation), but the results from the research indicate that a few days are not enough.

Chronic Sleep Deprivation

A study has shown that chronic deprivation can lead to adaptations in which a person may feel like they are not sleepy even though their body shows significant declines in physical and mental performance. Therefore a student may feel like they are fine when in reality their cognitive functions have been severely impaired.

Studies have emphasized that sleep deprivation disproportionally affects the prefrontal cortex (pFC). Long term neglect of this region can result in long term behavioral changes that are difficult to reverse. Among other functions, pFC is responsible for complex cognitive behavior, personality expression, decision making, and moderating social behavior. The development of the pFC occurs primarily during adolescence up till the mid 20s.

Adolescent brains development is a critical period. Sleep is necessary for repair and maintenance. Skipping out on it will have long-term consequences.

Takeaways and Considerations

Sleep loss corresponds to a range of negative consequences. Attention and learning are significantly affected by sleep deprivation. Stimulants may restore alertness, but not other brain functions.

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Create a consistent sleep schedule. Do not rely on stimulants (energy drinks, coffee, etc.).

It takes much more time to recuperate from sleep loss than one might think. A few hours of sleep loss requires several days of regular sleep to fix.

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Sleep at the same time each day. Do not expect to restore function by "making up" sleep on the weekends or holidays.

Chronic sleep deprivation can have a significant long-term impact on learning and behavior.

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Be careful of statements like "I don't feel sleepy". A body can adapt to sleep deprivation by lowering cognitive function. A normal adolescent should get around 9 hours of sleep each night.