In recent studies 60% to 70% of American teens live with a borderline to severe sleep debt, this can be caused by stress, too much technology, poor sleep habits, and many other common teenage habits.
According to childmind.org, a lack of sleep is the ability to exercise self-control over your emotions, impulses, and your mood. This is causing many doctors from all over America to express their worry that severe sleep deprivation can trigger depression in the younger generation.
Mary Carskadon is a professor of psychiatry at Brown University and director of chronobiology and sleep research at Bradley Hospital in Rhode Island. States “Sleep deprivation puts teenagers into a kind of perpetual cloud or haze.”
The negative effects of sleep deprivation on teenagers are diminished mental performance and concentration, impaired memory, reduced physical health and you may be at greater risk for depression. All of these can be easily fixed by following tips to fix your sleep schedule, this is a huge issue for high school students.
Luke Coutinho, the CEO of Holistic Nutrition who also works in lifestyle medicine posted a video to YouTube titled “What Happens When You Are Sleep Deprived.” In his video, he goes through a list of actions that you could be doing wrong that will make you sleep-deprived. But he also says that sleep deprivation doesn’t just affect your sleep, he states “Just due to sleep deprivation you can get bad eating habits as well as ruin your personal relationships.”
The National Institute of Health states that there are many solutions to fixing your sleep schedule. These are, going to bed and waking up at the same time every day (even trying to keep this sleep schedule on the weekends). You should also try to avoid eating large or heavy meals within a few hours of bedtime, avoid nicotine like cigarettes, avoid caffeine like coffee, keeping your bedroom cool, quiet, and dark. But lastly, you should try to spend time outside every day.
Dr. Abinader from the organization Piedmont, recommends ditching digital services like smartphones, televisions, and computers, right before bedtime. He states in his article 7 Tips to improve sleep deprivation, “Bright lights signal to your brain that the sun is up and it’s time to be awake.”
