Sleep Deprivation

pCharlotte Krummel
English 101
K. Stone
8 October 2012
Losing Weight, Losing Points and Losing Your Zzz’s Sleep is becoming a popular topic of research in today’s world of healthcare and psychology. Sleep affects how we function throughout the day and both mental and physical aspects of our health. On average, most people need 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night; but how much of the population actually meet this criteria? A study by the Center for Disease Control in 2009 shows that 35.3% of young adult respondents reported less than 7 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period, and that 43.7% of people reported falling asleep unintentionally during the day at least once in the past month. Sleep deprivation has also shown to cause several health problems such as learning problems and weight issues for young people. Working young adults are notorious for cutting themselves short of those extra hours in order to make extra money so that they can make up lost time spent at school, and because they believe are young and able. However, lack of sleep from overworking is actually detrimental to every aspect of our lives, including relationships, mental performance and, studies are now showing that insomnia increases your risk for obesity. Researchers at the University Of Maryland School Of Medicine investigated the correlation between obesity and work schedules among 1700 women nurses that were divided into two groups by whether or not they favored their work schedule. The research showed that 55% of nurses in both groups were obese, but obesity in the group who did not favor their work schedule was linked to sleeping less, not getting restful sleep, and exercising less than those who favored their work schedule, opposed to unhealthy behaviors from the other group such as smoking and alcohol use. Although not everyone has the same schedule, work demands, or job related challenges as a registered nurse, one thing we all have in common is that the extent that our working conditions are affecting our sleep, they may also be affecting our weight. Another conclusion brought about by sleep research is that cramming the night before actually does more harm than good in the academic department. Researchers at UCLA examined sleeping and studying habits students in grades 9, 10 and 12. The students were asked to keep logs of hours spent sleeping and hours spent studying, and also to keep track of their ability to comprehend material during lecture and results of their tests, quizzes and assignments. Researchers found that delaying bedtime in favor of studying was linked to difficulty in understanding lecture material and performance on homework and tests no matter how much time was spent studying. A solution to this problem is not eliminating study time as a whole, but rather creating a studying schedule that includes sufficient studying time and getting those 8 hours in as well. Sacrificing sleep, whether it be for the money, studying for that exam, or staying up late on Facebook, is poor for health, academic performance and other aspects of your life. Less sleep often translates to more weight and lower scores. So, is it really worth it?