Disrupted Sleep Leads to Anxiety and Depression Symptoms

Medical professionals and sleep scientists claim that the human body requires eight to ten hours of sleep in order to optimize physical and cognitive functionality— but how accurate is this statement? 

Sleep is a fundamental human response that is part of our daily routine. The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as a condition of the body and mind that typically recurs for several hours every night, in which the eyes are closed, the postural muscles relaxed, the activity of the brain altered, and consciousness of the surroundings practically suspended. The recommended hours of sleep for someone differs based on a number of biological factors. For one, the hours of sleep a person may need depends on their age. As suggested by Mayo Clinic, ranked the “World’s Best Hospital”, infants should be getting in the most hours, with 12 to 16 per night.  The hours of sleep suggested decreases as age increases, as adults are encouraged to get a minimum of seven hours per night. Factors that can affect how much sleep someone is getting are insomnia, pregnancy, and consumption of caffeine.

To put this statement to the test, I conducted interviews with several individuals at Sewanhaka, each varying in the amount of average sleep hours obtained per night. Of course, there should be a number of constant variables for the most accurate results. For this reason, all the individuals I interviewed were in the same age group, 15 to 16 years old. Additionally, they had similar workloads in school, with numerous classes in common and in tenth grade. I asked them several questions about how their sleep schedule affected them, both physically and emotionally.

First, I decided to interview students who reach the recommended amount of sleep per night, eight to ten hours. Kiana Arcillas, 15, reported that she feels “pretty refreshed when waking up” and does not “have trouble sleeping.” This is most likely because if an individual’s circadian rhythm is not disrupted, it is easier to fall asleep and wake up after the body signals that it has reached a sufficient amount of sleep. A circadian rhythm can be seen as the body’s internal clock— regulating cycles of sleep and alertness in correspondence with light changes in the surrounding environment. Maggie Zhang, also 15, stated “I typically get 7 hours of sleep on school days, and 9 to 10 hours on weekends.”  Furthermore, they explained that on nights when they are not able to get as much sleep, they feel that it interferes with their schoolwork and causes them to feel agitated, as they catch themselves losing focus frequently during classes throughout the school day.

Next, I interviewed students who receive significantly less sleep than the suggested amount, three to five hours per night. Manahil Asif, 15, revealed, “On average, I get about four to five hours of sleep, and even that's rare.” They also expressed the difficulties they experience in school as a result, “It's hard to focus in school when you're constantly either very tired and trying not to fall asleep, or you have coffee to help you stay up, but it just makes you anxious.” Caffeine is often consumed to mimic the attentiveness equivalent to a good night’s sleep. However, chronic sleep deprivation requires stronger doses of caffeine, which can negatively affect a person’s health and increase feelings of anxiety. Another 16-year-old student, Aneeq Ali, described "I usually sleep 5-6 hours, but in extreme cases, it goes down to 2-3 hours. I feel incredibly sore, and accidentally sleep sometimes throughout the day when I’m supposed to be doing schoolwork, which affects my grades and therefore causes negative thoughts about my academic capabilities.” Over time, a lack of sleep can foster neurochemical changes in the brain, causing symptoms such as headaches, resulting in an overall negative mood. This is mainly because, with little sleep, the brain does not have enough time to repair itself, impeding neural pathways and increasing the amount of proteins that can induce physical and emotional pain.

Despite this, too much of anything is not good. Surpassing the amount of recommended hours can actually lead to experiencing the same symptoms as sleep deprivation. Because of this, I also decided to interview students that exceed these hours, ranging from 10 to 12 hours of sleep per night. Jade Trask, 15, explained their sleep schedule by saying “Typically, I sleep 10 hours” but, “when I wake up, I feel groggy. I usually take morning showers to fully get me up.” This feeling of sluggishness is common in anyone, and it is a phenomenon called sleep inertia. Sleep inertia, also known as sleep drunkenness, is the temporary impairment of cognitive and sensory abilities immediately after awakening. Regardless, oversleeping can prolong the amount of time sleep inertia is considered normal to last. Moreover, Merina Paul, 15, expressed several of the same symptoms. She said, “I get around 10 to 11 hrs on average. If I'm waking up early (for school) I never feel refreshed.” In other words, excessive amounts of sleep can cause someone to go into a depressive state, as a person can feel disassociated with their cognitive and psychological abilities.

The effects of sleep are far and in between, varying for every individual. Yet one thing is crystal clear, too much or too little of this vital life function can be detrimental to one's health, physical and mental. Fortunately, the effects of chronic sleep deprivation can be reversed by implementing a relaxing nighttime routine. Namely, one can include activities such as reading, meditating, or journaling to unwind the mind and promote a good night’s sleep. So, if you feel that getting in a bit more sleep would improve your mood and behavior for the day, hitting the snooze button on your alarm clock once wouldn’t hurt.