Sleep Deprivation

COURTESY OF MONDAYCAMPAIGNS.ORG VIA CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE

Originally published January 21, 2025

   Sleep deprivation is something everyone suffers from. This can range anywhere from no sleep, to eight hours but terrible sleep. People have many causes for sleep deprivation such as homework, YouTube, or even just for their own late night self. 

   “Sometimes I'm too tired to answer questions that the teacher asks.” seventh-grader Jett Liu said. 

   Sleep deprivation is a pretty bad thing to have because according to the NHLBI (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute), “sleep deprivation interferes with school, work, driving, and social functioning.” This is inquiring that not enough sleep can lower grades and make some people do socially unacceptable things. 

   “The teacher might be mad if you are not paying attention or asleep,” sixth-grader Jagger Tranberg said. “I hardly ever take naps like maybe two times a week.” 

   Taking naps can be a sign of sleep deprivation and it will somewhat throw off your sleep schedule. Some other symptoms of this may be misbehavior and struggling to pay attention. 

   “Like the teacher might be mad if they're like, not paying attention, like being lazy, or tired in class like sleeping,” Tranberg said. 

   According to Sleep.com, a healthy sleep schedule is good for a lower risk of sleep deprivation “Recently, a study revealed that better sleep consistency was associated with a significantly lower risk for sleep deprivation — those with the most consistent sleep schedule had a 30% lower risk for sleep deprivation.” If you find a good time to go to sleep and wake up then you will have a better day with a less likelihood of sleep deprivation.

   “Daylight saving time affects when your brain thinks you should sleep so you will wake up when it is the sunniest and fall asleep when it is the sunniest,” eighth-grader Layla Osborne said. 

   The ASD (Auburn School District) has a mid-winter break followed by daylight savings time shortly after. This means that when students start to get a sleep schedule, they go on break. Then once they start another schedule, daylight savings time comes in and ruins it. 

   “Most people feel irritable if they haven’t had a good night’s sleep, but long-term sleep deprivation has been linked clinical depression and a more general loss of motivation. Contrarily, patients with depression often have irregular sleep schedules. Sleep cycles and mood regulation are both regulated by the hormone melatonin. In fact, lower levels of melatonin are often found in people suffering from depression and those affected by insomnia.” the website Sleep Health Solutions stated.

   “If they have lack of sleep and might fall asleep during class, and that can affect their own learning because they're not getting the information, and the teachers trying to, like, teach the kids, so it can be frustrating for the teacher, because the information is not getting through to the kid,” Osborne said.