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Sleep Deprivation may Cause a Student
Immense Limitation and Frustration.
Sleep deprivation’s impact and influence on the academic, athletic, and behavioral aspects of a student’s life at Chagrin Falls High School. By: Jared Axelrod, Alex Goebel, and Ryan Jaskiel
Abstract Sleep deprivation can affect and hinder the academic, athletic, and behavior of a student’s life. At less than eight hours of sleep a night, the human body and mind can undergo alteration.This alteration has the ability to impact the life of a student. The purpose of our project was to analyze and confirm the extent in which sleep deprivation affects a student in accordance with our variables: academics, athletics, and behavior. In order to research sleep deprivation and fulfill the purpose of our research project, we conducted a survey and an experiment. We distributed 160 surveys to all grade levels as well asadvanced placement, honors, and regular courses. Unfortunately we only received 83 surveys back. The survey requested students to provide their amount of sleep and answer questions that correspond to our variables. We then collected the data and compared sleep to academics, athletics, and behavior. In our experiment, a student purposely deprived himself of sleep. During a school day, he kept a journal and recorded his observations. His observations werethen organized by the variables. The survey and experiment provided data that consistently showed the correlation between sleep and our variables. The surveys illustrated that the amount of sleep a student receives is directly related to G.P.A., performance in athletics, and motivation. On average, students who answered low for the variable related questions indicated that they received lessthan the optimal amount of sleep. The experiment verified that sleep deprivation causes negative factors in a student’s life that can impede academic, athletic, and behavioral aspects of his/her life. The test subject noted negative changes in his sleep-deprived school day compared to an average day.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Literature Review
- Design and Methodology
- Data Results
- Discussion and Conclusion
- Appendices
- Works Cited
ability and changes their normal behavior (Bergin 45; Black 34; Gibson 116; School of Public Health 19). Rationale and Focus of the Problem Sleep deprivation is a problem faced by many high school students. While sleep deprivation has been investigated and researched, there has been contradicting results (School of Public Health 24; Gibson 116). The aim of our study is to determine the effects of sleep deprivation on academics, athletics, and behavior. The first area of our research, a student’s academic ability, is a high priority for many students. It can be affected by a variety of issues, but we plan to study its relation to sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation appears to have a direct correlation to an increase in stress and a decrease of focus. We plan to investigate to what extent, if any, stress and focus are impinged upon by sleep deprivation. Then, we can prove or disprove if a lack of sleep can lead to lower academic success. Hence, a student can plan their sleep in accordance to what is needed to achieve the academic level they desire. We also look to investigate the relationship of sleep deprivation and a student’s athletic ability. Sports and exercise play an immense role in many students’ lives. We will look into the physical consequence on the body from a lack of sleep. Our reasoning behind researching sleep deprivation and athletics is to inform students who want to achieve athletic success of how their amount of sleep can influence their athletic ability. Therefore, they can modify their original amount of sleep to be more in coherence to their athletic aspiration. Our final area of investigation is the behavioral affects from sleep deprivation. Behavior can contribute greatly to a student’s decision making and overall success in school. Our study will provide insight into a lightly researched topic and help high school students gain knowledge on an important aspect in their life. A student’s behavior will change if they suffer a lack of motivation and an increase in
anxiety. We plan to explicate how sleep deprivation plays a role in motivation and anxiety alterations or disprove the theory. Sleep deprivation may be very influential on a student’s life, and they must know what the possible effects are. In conclusion, sleep deprivation affects a student’s academics, athletics, and behavior and if students better understand the consequences of sleep deprivation, they can plan their sleep accordingly. Definition of Terms Sleep Deprivation- A condition where a person stays awake for more than normal, and as a result may experience fatigue, lethargy, or other effects (Harvard Health Publications). Partial Sleep Deprivation- A condition where a person sleeps, but for less than his/her personal normal for the day, resulting in effects less prominent than complete sleep deprivation. However, if one loses sleep time over an extended period of time, the effects accumulate with the duration, intensifying the symptoms (Harvard Health Publications). Complete Sleep Deprivation - A condition where a person goes without sleep for a duration at or exceeding twenty-four hours, resulting in more extreme symptoms of lethargy and fatigue, and may be dangerous when the person has to undergo an activity where heightened vigilance is required (Harvard Health Publications). Rapid Eye Movement (REM) - The normal stage in sleep characterized by the fast-paced and random movement of the eyes. About twenty percent of an average adult’s sleep takes place in this stage (Marzano 261) Microsleep- An episode where a sleep deprived person falls into a brief period of sleep lasting a few to around fifteen seconds. During this time, the person affected will not respond to sensory impulses, resulting in a potentially dangerous scenario if the ailed person is performing an activity where heightened vigilance is required (Harvard Health Publications).
Literature Review Definition and History Sleep deprivation is a condition caused by lack of sleep. It can cause a person to experience fatigue, weight change, social changes, clumsiness, and daytime sleepiness (Epstein; Gibson, Powles, and Thabane 116). The optimal amount of sleep for a teenager is approximately nine hours (Noland 225; Epstein; School of Public Health 18). If a teenager sleeps less than nine hours then they may experience sleep deprivation (Bergin 45; School of Public Health 18). Therefore, a student’s academic ability, behavior, or physical potential can be affected by sleep deprivation (Bergin 45; Black 34; Gibson, Powles, and Thabane 116; School of Public Health 19). Hence, a student’s grades will drop if they continually miss sleep (Black 35; Epstein; Noland 224). Sleep deprivation could also cause health problems by increasing stress and obesity (Black 35; Epstein; Noland 224). The effects and causes of sleep deprivation have been studied since the early twentieth century. Although sleep deprivation has affected people since the beginning of the human race, the beginning of modern sleep deprivation research began with the French. In 1913, Henri Pieron, a French scientist, studied sleep deprivation from view based on a physiological perspective. His work was followed by Nathaniel Kleitman who is known as the “Father of American sleep research.” He studied sleep and the effects of sleep deprivation and made many important discoveries including the landmark discovery of rapid eye movement during sleep. His students continued his research and many others have branched of what he found (Stanford University). Today, sleep deprivation research has grown exponentially (Black 36). Studies have taken place across the world studying students and sleep deprivation (Gibson, Powles, and Thabane; School of Public Health 26). Rats are also being used to test sleep deprivation effect
on organisms (Christie 377). Sleep deprivation and the symptoms of it have been study since the early nineteenth century, but the most prevalent and advance research is taking place in the modern era. Theories and Approaches Sleep deprivation can decrease academic performance by causing a person to have trouble concentrating and paying attention (Bergin 44; Black 33; Christian 913; Christie 376; Epstein; Gibson, Powles, and Thabane 116; School of Public Health 28; Noland 224). In recent studies, seventy to eighty three percent of students do not obtain the optimal level of sleep (Gibson, Powles, and Thabane 116; School of Public Health 27). This is due in part to students staying up late doing homework and studying, but caffeinated beverages and leisure time activities also lead to students staying up to late (Gibson, Powles, and Thabane 116). However, biological factors like stress and sleep problems add to sleep deprivation (Christian 919; School of Public Health 28). Stress can cause sleep deprivation which hurts academics. In turn, academic failure can lead to more stress (Bergin 44; Noland 224). Since students gain extra amounts of sleep on weekends to make up for their lack of sleep during the school week, their biological clock, which regulates sleep, is off balance causing students to have energy at night and to have an energy deficit while at school (Bergin 46; Black 34). This accumulative sleep deprivation leads to academic deficiency by causing a student to be irritable and impulsive which in turn leads to stress and lack of focus (Bergin 45). Recent studies show there is a direct relationship between sleep and academic success due to stress and lack of focus (Gibson, Powles, and Thabane 116; School of Public Health 23-26). In addition to falling asleep in class, sleep deprivation will lower a student’s motivation to learn and lower their will to get good grades
restlessness and low self esteem spurs from the lack of sleep in young adults (Bergin 45). In addition to several factors causing teenage sleep deprivation in teenagers, the symptoms in turn have been shown to cause various elements contributing to sleep deprivation (Bergin 45; Noland 226). Some intermediate behaviors spurring from sleep deprivation symptoms can also pose a serious threat to well being; one of dangerous behaviors includes "micro sleeps," which are brief episodes where the subject will succumb to extreme fatigue for around ten to fifteen seconds, dangerous in the case of operating a motor vehicle (Harvard Health Publications 12). Other influences in adolescent life that sleep deprivation reaches includes school sports, social activity, and concentration during times prompting mental application and flexibility, resulting in lower grades and rating for everyday activities (Bergin 46; Black 36). Due to the many negative effects of sleep deprivation, numerous studies focused on high school adolescents have been conducted to pinpoint the affect of the lack of sleep in today's youth (Gibson, Powles, and Thabane 4; Noland 227; Roberts 23). Additional tests also focus on the adult working class along with laboratory mice, yielding increased hostility, confusion and longer reaction times, following the same trends entailing the tests conducted toward high school students (Christian 919; Christie 379). Overall, in today's active society, sleep deprivation has grown to be a major scourge against health and wellness, especially against the high school populations, subject to both the demanding timetables of adult scheduling in conjunction with natural adolescent sleep patterns, colliding to create detrimental sleep deprivation in today's high school students. Criticisms The recommended amount of sleep for a teenager is approximately nine hours (Epstein; School of Public Health 18; Noland 225). However, recent studies indicate that a student can perform at close to optimal levels if they attain seven to eight hours. This change in time is
attributed to many factors such as gender, age, lifestyle, and body type (Gibson, Powles, and Thabane 116; School of Public Health 18). A high percentage of students do not attain the recommended amount of sleep because of the early hours of school and homework (Bergin 44; Black 34-36). On the other hand, students do not get their homework done during the day do to leisure activities and stay up late because of their unhealthy diet (Gibson, Powles, and Thabane 116). Also, a student’s biological clock causes a student not to get tired late at night due to sleeping in on the weekends (Bergin 46; Black 34). Although sleep deprivation is thought to create stress, stress may cause sleep deprivation and it may be an exponentially growing cycle (School of Public Health 30; Noland 224). The same is true with neural activity in the brain. It is unclear if sleep deprivation causes a decrease in neural activity or vice versa (Marzano 261). A Harvard study found that kids who experience anxiety and low self-esteem suffer from sleep deprivation (Harvard Health Publication 12; Noland 225). There is no evidence suggesting the impossibility of a student already having preexisting behavioral issues that cause or are not affected by sleep deprivation (Marzono 267).
High School currently teaches 597 students, predominately Caucasian. However, only 160 surveys were distributed between the four grade levels. The freshmen, junior, and senior grades each received 50 surveys, while the sophomore grade received 10 surveys. In the survey, we ask many questions regarding sleep deprivation effects on the physical, behavioral, and academic aspects of the students’ lives. The questions include average hours of sleep, current GPA, number of sports played, and behavioral well-being throughout the school day. The surveys were kept anonymous to protect the results and participants. Throughout our survey, we created diverse and accurate participation in our research. We also conducted an experiment to observe the effects of sleep deprivation on a student. For the experiment, Jared Axelrod, a student at CFHS, went a full night without sleep and attended school the next day. He kept a journal with him throughout the day to record his feelings and behaviors. Jared Axelrod maintains a GPA above 4.0 and plays basketball every day. These aspects were compared from a sleep-deprived day to a regular day. At the end of the day, the journal was collected and the results were observed and recorded. Instruments/Methods To carry out our research on sleep deprivation we used a compilation of primary and secondary sources. Our secondary sources included a variety of research located while using EBSCOhost. This research incorporated experiments conducted by Gibson, Powels, and Thabane, Noland, and Roberts. Their secondary research aided us with understanding sleep deprivation’s effects on students’ behavior, academics, and athletics. It also provided the basis for our survey and experiment. The experiments provided us a multitude of data which we used to reach conclusions for our Research project. The results of our data combined with these secondary sources influenced and enhanced our analysis. We also utilized a variety of academic
research by Black, Epstein, and Marzano. Their research provided information on sleep deprivation’s lasting influence on a student’s mind and how a student’s environment can contribute to sleep deprivation. Our secondary sources were compiled with our two primary sources. We used a survey to compare and contrast amount of sleep with a student’s academics, athletics, and behavior. We also used an experiment to test how a student’s life is changed by having limited to none sleep for one night. Our survey was design to have the amount of sleep a student obtains match up to their academic, athletic, and behavior aspects of their lives. The surveys were anonymous and had only multiple choice questions in order to limit bias and inaccurate results. The surveys were approximately distributed to all grades equally. This would allow for us to measure all ages of high school students and not limit our data to one particular group. For each grade, we gave surveys out to English classes since every student takes an English class for all four years. In order to obtain data from both high and low ends of the academic spectrum we designated surveys for the most and least difficult class for each grade. Hence, Honors English for 11th^ and 12 th^ grade did not receive surveys since there are advanced placement and regular English classes for each. Our surveys had seven questions. The first two asked the participant’s grade and average amount of sleep per night. These answers were compared to the next five questions which asked for the student to provide their G.P.A., to submit the amount of sports they participated in, and to rank their athletic performance and motivation during the day. We then collected and tallied the results of the surveys and listed the data. By comparing the students’ amount of sleep to their G.P.A., academic performance, and motivation, we were able to discover trends among the data and assess our three variables.
Data Results Purpose of the Study The purpose of our research was to determine the effects on the cognitive, physical, and behavioral elements from sleep deprivation ailing high school adolescents. Research Questions
- To what extent is a student’s academics hindered by sleep deprivation?
- How does sleep deprivation affect a student’s athletic ability and performance?
- What influence does sleep deprivation have on a high school student’s behavior? Coding of Data For the purpose of comparing academics, behavior, and motivation, we passed out 160 surveys to the students of Chagrin Falls High School. Unfortunately, we only received 83 surveys back that were not obsolete or incomplete. We then proceeded to divide the surveys into nine separate categories: under four hours, four hours, six hours, seven hours, eight hours, nine hours, ten hours, and over ten hours (Appendix A). For each category, we individually tallied the answers for the questions of G.P.A., motivation, number of sports, and performance in those sports (Appendix A). Next, we made a series of stacked-bar graphs to show the relationship between the variables and the amount of sleep. Each graph compares amount of sleep to the answer of one question. The x-axis for each graph represents the scalar quantity of students who answered the surveys, and the y-axis shows our sleep-based categories in ascending order. The identical axes portrays the bar size for each sleep-based category to be the same across every graph. This allows the graphs to isolate the stated variables as the only alteration, hence, enabling accurate conclusions to be drawn. Each bar is divided into separate sections that are distinguishable by color. The colors correspond to the different possible answers for the
question the graph represents. A key was provided for each graph to define each color’s meaning. By comparing the location and length of a colored section in a bar, one can decipher the correlation between the stated amounts of sleep and the variables. In order to analyze the effects of sleep deprivation on the academic, behavior, and athletic aspects of a student’s life, we conducted an experiment. Jared Axelrod, the participant in our experiment, purposely sleep deprived himself during the night of April third. During the following day, Jared kept track of his observations, and he wrote them haphazardly. He noted differences in his academics, behavior, and athletics. We then marked statements in his record that were in relation to one or more of the variables of the experiment. The statements were put in three separate paragraphs: academics, behavior, and athletics (Appendix B). We kept the statements original except for changing some verbs to past tense in order to keep the paragraphs logical and understandable. The originality causes the sentences to seem uneven; however, we believed it would allow the data to be more viable. In addition, we included an introductory paragraph written by the participant to validate the data and provide a basis for the information (Appendix B). By coding our data, we were able to define trends and themes among the data. Overview of Overall Results Overall, the results of our research support the thesis that sleep deprivation has a negative impact on a student’s physical, academic and emotional well being. As our surveys show, most students do not receive the recommended eight hours of sleep per night, and are susceptible to the effects of sleep deprivation (Appendix C). We also found that G.P.A. is directly proportional to the amount of sleep with more hours of sleep leading to a higher average G.P.A (Appendix D). Performance in academics also directly correlates with the experiment’s results (Appendix B). Similarly, students experience a decrease in motivation and overall behavior with less sleep
multiple arguments with his peers (Appendix B). Lastly, after the initial school day and onto basketball practice, the subject records that he still feels the effects of sleep deprivation, and that it greatly affects his performance on the court with a staggeringly low free-throw percentage in conjunction with only twenty minutes of play time (Appendix B). After the conclusion of the experiment, we have postulated that sleep deprivation, does in fact; affect all facets of a student’s well being the following period of time after passing the threshold of sleep deprivation. We distributed 160 surveys amongst English classes of all grades and levels (College Preparation 9 to AP 12). Out of 160 surveys distributed, we received 118 back, and used 83 of them excluding 35 due to questionable validity. Contained within the survey are seven questions pertaining to grade level, average sleep duration, grade point average, overall mood during the school day, number of sports, performance in sports (if participating), and the element most affected by lack of sleep (Appendix A). At the conclusion of counting all of the valid surveys, we noticed a trend amongst the student population with regards to hours of sleep per night. We found that three students have less than four hours of sleep per night, six having four hours, eight having five hours, one having six hours, twenty-three having seven hours, eighteen having eight hours, twelve having nine hours, one sleeping ten hours, and one sleeping over ten hours (Appendix C). We took the results from the hour number prompt and incorporated the results with the results from the GPA prompt and found a trend with regards to hours and academic performance: the number of hours slept is directly proportional to the level of performance (Appendix D). In addition we preformed the same method to the (quantitative measure) motivation scale results with those from the hour prompt, and found that the number of hours students sleep per night is also directly proportional to the sense of positive well being during the day (Appendix E). Once again, our group applied the findings from the number of hours slept
with the number of sports a student performs, against our prediction, found that the mean number of people play one to two sports while receiving seven to eight hours of sleep (Appendix F). However, when applied to physical performance during sports, the number of hours slept is directly proportional to a higher level of performance (Appendix G). Although trends are prevalent in sleep time duration and various levels of performance (in school and in athletics), the results found when applying the hour number prompt with the prompt regarding the element in daily life most affected by sleep deprivation, the following results reflected no major trends at all (Appendix H). From this survey, our group can conclude that a direct relationship exists between the numerical values of hours slept per night, to GPA, quantitative representation to well being, and physical performance. In addition, our group can postulate that the number of hours slept has little relation with number of sports. Along with that, our group cannot derive a pattern when applying the number of hours to any qualitative (rather than quantitative) value (such as what sleep deprivation affects), reinforcing the thesis that the quantitative number of hours slept by a student directly correlates to other quantitative measures of well being in high school students.
