Top-Rated Free Essay
Preview

Factors Influencing Students Academic Performance

Good Essays
605 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Factors Influencing Students Academic Performance
Review of Related Literature

A. Unhealthy sleep habits Not sleeping enough and not sleeping well is not OK. As a matter of fact, there is quite a price to pay. It may surprise you to learn that chronic sleep deprivation, for whatever reason, significantly affects your health, performance, safety, and pocketbook. There are many causes of sleep deprivation. The stresses of daily life may intrude upon our ability to sleep well, or perhaps we trade sleep for more work or play. We may have medical or mental-health conditions that disrupt our sleep, and be well aware that we are sleep-deprived.
However, it is critically important to realize that sleep deprivation is very often due to unrecognized sleep disorders. After a typical night's sleep, you may not feel restored and refreshed and be sleepy during the day, but be totally unaware that you are sleep-deprived or have a sleep disorder. You might think, "It's just the stress of work or the kids," or you might have "always felt this way" and had no idea that you should feel differently. This lack of awareness compounds the consequences, because so many people remain undiagnosed for years. Here are some overview of sleep problems: Snoring, Parasomnias(sleepwalking, nightmares), Insomnia, narcolepsy(disorder that affects the control of sleep and wakefulness), and sleep-related eating disorder (Michael J. Breus.MD, n.d)

In January 2013(Kristina Klassen) stresses that students need to have enough REM sleep. “Without enough REM sleep, you will die within a year” she said. Social pressures such as partying, staying up late, and taking in substances like drugs or alcohol represses students’ sleep and makes learning and remembering class and lectures extremely hard. It takes 48 hours to process information, and with those obstacles in the way, learning at school is almost impossible.
(Randy Ware,2013) encourages his students to create regular sleeping patterns. Students’ health is also a factor with less sleep. Sleep deprivation can interfere with student weight gain, a deficient immune system, and constantly feeling tired which makes school harder. With energy drinks, pills, and high sugary foods and drinks added with very little sleep, a student’s health is quickly affected. A full night of sleep is the body’s way of restoring itself.

B. Mechanisms of sleep

Many of us try to sleep as little as possible—or feel like we have should. There are so many things that seem more interesting or important than getting a few more hours of sleep, but just as exercise and nutrition are essential for optimal health and happiness, so is sleep. The quality of your sleep directly affects the quality of your waking life, including your mental sharpness, productivity, emotional balance, creativity, physical vitality, and even your weight. No other activity delivers so many benefits with so little effort! Sleep isn’t exactly a time when your body and brain shut off. While you rest, your brain stays busy, overseeing a wide variety of biological maintenance that keeps your body running in top condition, preparing you for the day ahead. Without enough hours of restorative sleep, you won’t be able to work, learn, create, and communicate at a level even close to your true potential. Regularly skimp on “service” and you’re headed for a major mental and physical breakdown.
The good news is that you don't have to choose between health and productivity. As you start getting the sleep you need, your energy and efficiency will go up. In fact, you're likely to find that you actually get more done during the day than when you were skimping on shuteye. (Smith et al., 2013)

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Based on recent statistics, the decreasing average hours of sleep of high school students is immensely impacting them. A sleeping survey of United States high school students conducted in 2006 by the National Sleep Foundation revealed over 87 percent receive inadequate hours of sleep less than eight to ten hours (Richter par. 4).The harmful effects of sleep deprivation are fatal when consistent as the body weakens due to five crucial body systems for normal functioning become inefficient, along with brain cells deteriorating. Since the brain is not working at its fullest potential, it would be inefficient to…

    • 757 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As a second year Bachelors of Science student at the University of the Fraser Valley I have observed that juggling school, work and a social life can be quite difficult. It is interesting to see that many university students who have the appropriate sleep before an exam score moderately higher than those who lack proper sleep. Most students procrastinate and end up pulling "all nighters" the night before and exam praying that they will pass, but maybe a good night sleep would do just the same as staying up all night. I have chosen this topic because this issue effects me directly as a student and is a vastly relatable subject. Acquiring proper sleep is important in more aspects than just scoring higher on exams; it affects the health of an individual and the stability of the mind. Getting the right amount of sleep is an easy change that an individual can make to their lifestyle, which will provide various benefits to them.…

    • 1343 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Insomnia in College

    • 1813 Words
    • 8 Pages

    College students everywhere are famous for their lack of sleep. From studying, to working, to partying life at a university is constantly in motion, and for many students, it’s difficult to find time for sleep. However, the effects of not getting enough sleep and depriving your body of rest are detrimental. These negative consequences hurt students; emotionally, academically, and physically. Their causes can be anything from stress to diet and the sleep deprivation that is brought on can be adverse to students’ health.…

    • 1813 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Everyone would rather feel wide awake during as school day than to be falling asleep in class, unable to concentrate for the big final. Sleep is mandatory to everyone, and people depend on sleep to function every day. The amount of sleep a person gets throughout a night can affect their mind, making their abilities to remember, think, and learn harder. Due to their lack of melatonin, teenagers need the most sleep compared to adults. Although, they are the ones that have to wake up the earliest due to the early high school start times. Statistics, facts and studies have shown that the time school starts for adolescents affects the teenager in many ways. Being sleep deprived doesn’t allow the teenager to function their best.…

    • 1372 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Sleep Deprivation

    • 330 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Conclusion There are many factors of sleep deprivation that are causing problems for young people. Sleep deprivation can cause many problems for young people such as, limiting your ability to learn, forgetting important information, makes you more prone to acne, and causing agressive or inappropriate behavior. There are many ways to prevent yourself from becoming sleep deprived such as, dont eat, drink, or excersise within a few hours of your bedtime and avoid doing your homework right before bed. Make sleep…

    • 330 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Humans are naturally programmed to have to rely on sleep for energy throughout the day. However, as school times become earlier and earlier, it is evident that students turn to other sources of energy such as caffeine and energy drink to keep them awake throughout the day. Allowing students to replace their sleep with other forms of energy in the long run, can lead to obesity or depression and also challenges students to keep a balanced diet which is essential to a healthy lifestyle. Because of this, early high school start times have been labeled the reason for poorer academic performances as well as negative health effects. According to Julie Boergers, Ph.D., a Psychology and sleep expert, “It is well-known that sleep deprivation is common among teens, with potentially serious impacts on mental and physical health, safety and learning. ‘Early high school start times contribute to this problem’”(Boergers). She also mentions that if schools attempt to change the times to match students natural sleep patterns which is staying up late and waking up later in the day, “‘we will have students who are more alert, happier, better prepared to learn, and [who] aren’t dependent on caffeine and energy drinks just to stay awake in class’”(Boergers) Pederson highlights through these quotes, that many students depending on quick and easy unhealthy sources of energy to stay awake in class negatively affects the…

    • 804 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Healthy People 2020

    • 495 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Due to our chaotic lives in school and at work we often neglect in getting the adequate amount of sleep at night. Proper amount of sleep helps with our growth, development and function. It is imperative the public becomes aware of the general health benefits and side effects of adequate and inadequate sleep.…

    • 495 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Sleep Deprivation

    • 1317 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Sleep is one of the most important things a person does each day. It allows the body to rest and to replenish itself so that it is better able to serve its function of living. Yet many people who don't have enough hours in the day to do everything have to cut out sleep before any other activity. This is especially true for teenagers, who most nights are frantically trying to finish writing essays and completing worksheets before the clock strikes twelve, or are busy participating in after school sports that leave them weary and return them home late. Most adolescents need at least eight hours of sleep each night. But the National Sleep Foundation estimates that only 15 percent of teenagers get that much, with 25 percent of teens getting less than seven hours. With adults, this amount of sleep is known to cause countless problems in their everyday life. And as adolescents are biologically driven to sleep longer and later than adults do, the effects of these sleeping patterns are even more disastrous (Carpenter 1). However, the high school education system does not seem to recognize the negative effects that sleep deprivation can have on high schoolers, and continue to have school classes start at an obscene time of morning.…

    • 1317 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Many negative consequences result from the ongoing sleep deprivation. Students find it hard to wake up in the morning, not necessarily because they are lazy, but because their body clock is mismatched with the demands of life, and because irregular sleep interferes with their sleep cycle; resulting in increased difficulties falling asleep at night and waking up in the…

    • 104 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    busy schedules, and how early their school day starts. To try and help scholars work to their…

    • 1332 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Students’ health is at risk every morning when the alarm goes off exceedingly early. Teenagers need on average, over 9 hours of sleep to function at their best. If students are not functioning well, they simply cannot complete all the assignments required of them.…

    • 346 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Many high school students are feeling that they are not getting enough sleep. This has caused many people to question the early start times, because “For the first time, the federal Centers of Disease Control and Prevention is trying to get schools to have a later start time” (Richmond). Many doctors have confirmed that not getting enough sleep at night can lead to big problems such as slowed reaction time and even as far as weight gain. Research has proven, “Getting enough sleep is important for students’ health, safety, and academic performance” ( qtd. in Richmond). A recent survey shows that student are getting only about 6.5 to 7 hours of sleep doctors…

    • 1462 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    This is because it is easier to complete something when your body is well rested, therefore also making it easier to do a better job at something If your body does not have enough rest, it is harder to complete the task efficiently. With this being said, it is obvious that beginning school at a later time with more rested students would lead to better grades, test scores, and make it much easier to learn and take in information every day. According to a study done by a group called the Student Health Advisory Council at the University of Michigan, many students seem to give sleep up for homework and to study, thinking that it will result in better grades. In reality, the students who sleep more actually tend to have better grades. The researchers at the University of Michigan are increasingly focusing on college students because they are one of the most sleep-deprived populations. It is shown that college students go to bed one to two hours later and sleep less per night on average compared to previous generations. As a result, 75% of undergraduates at the University of Michigan do not sleep enough to feel rested for five or more days per week, and 19% reported that sleep difficulties had an impact on academic performance in the past year. In conclusion, not only the amount of sleep that a college student receives, but that any school student receives…

    • 971 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    For teenagers, a typical sleep cycle will begin around 11 p.m. and go until around 8 a.m. This means students will only get about 6 or 7 hours of sleep per night if they’re forced to wake up around 6 a.m. and they can’t fall asleep until around 11 p.m.. Adolescents from the age of 12-25 need about 9 hours of sleep a night, and today nearly ⅔ get under 8 and ⅖ get under 6 (“Why We Must - and Can - Restore Safe & Healthy School Hours”). Lack of sleep, or sleep deprivation, can lead to weight gain, eating disorders, depression, anxiety, possible impacts on brain development, and much more. If kids, teens, and even young teachers around the age of 25 are always tired, they cannot live up to their full potential in and out of school. Students…

    • 849 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    All students have activities, homework, and other things that must be done, and we tend to forget the importance of sleep. The lack of sleep can also be linked back to time management, which many of us high school students tend to lack and procrastination. The lack of prioritizing and organization causes us to forget about things and causes us to stay up late to complete the assignment.…

    • 489 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays