Importance Of Sleep For Students
By Shelly Koren
It is a common problem for teens to avoid sleeping as much as they should, which ultimately takes a toll on how they behave at home, with their friends, and their ability to retain information at school. This could be for numerous reasons, for example the student may have been unable to manage their time wisely and is now scrambling to finish their assignments, or they could be using social media websites, which also happens to keep them awake.
Regardless of the reason the issue of sleep amongst students is a prevalent one, as members of the Student Health Advisory Council claim that students are one of the most sleep-deprived populations, particularly university and college students. In fact in comparison to previous generations, students go to sleep later and attain less sleep per night than ever before.
The recommended amount of sleep for an adult is about eight to ten hours in order for them to remain alert throughout the day. A study by the Journal of Adolescent Health using 1120 students found that only 30 percent of the participants slept at least eight hours a night, which is the minimum recommendation for young adults in school.
The topic of insufficient sleep is discussed by Roxanne Prichard, a psychology professor at the University of St. Thomas, claiming that, “Students underestimate the importance of sleep in their daily lives. They forgo sleep during periods of stress, not realizing that they are sabotaging their physical and mental health.”
She goes on to explain how not getting enough sleep can weaken your ability to concentrate and solve simple problems. Lack of sleep also serves as a dysfunction because it affects the ability to remember, therefore making it impossible to focus in class. It also becomes exceedingly difficult to memorize key points for a test.
Sufficient sleep is essential not only for young adults, but throughout one’s life because it allows the brain to rest, and prepare itself for the next day. It is therefore important to sleep enough from a young age in order to achieve the best work that you can.
