High school students are notoriously known for their horrific sleep schedules. Majority of students have been through the sleep lecture many times, about how they should be gaining eight or more hours every night to make sure they don’t wake up as sluggish zombies. However, many do anyway. It’s either the fact they are jailed in the cell of homework or simply studying for the ‘life-and-death’ internal that have been approaching them like a storm, which limits them from getting sufficient sleep.
Most likely, it’s because many students have gone through the lecture without fully understanding what the body does under the restorative state. But seriously, why is sleep so important?
To high school students, their exams and internals can be the most pressing things to exist. And because of such extreme conditions, some feel as if they’re pressured to cram all night, to ensure they know all of the content. However, the truth is, it’s pretty much the opposite.
Relapsed sleep deprivation only hinders the brain’s ability to function properly, along with actively recalling the things it has learnt. During your sleep, the brain conserves all the memories and significant events that occured throughout the day and stores them away; that takes time of course. When the brain doesn’t have enough time to store such information away, you lose all the things you’ve studied.
To an extreme, sleep deficiency can lead to much more serious problems than getting a low score on your maths internal. For example, people with already underlying health conditions may experience severe repercussions from a lack of sleep and rest, which causes even more health issues. When the necessary hours are not gained from sleeping, a lot of the immunity in the body is compromised due to the lack of cells and chemicals being produced. Without sleep, we wouldn’t be able to fend off of the puniest of viruses. Like COVID.
The side effects of sleep deprivation are something no one wants to experience. Mild amnesia, a lack of focus, and overall fatigue that latches onto you throughout the day. So, with that all in mind, try and get some sleep.
May 25th, 2023
Emma Li
Photography by Daniel Hulley
