BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! You instantaneously try to turn off your alarm clock by hitting it, but instead knock it off your bedside table on this Wednesday morning at 6 a.m. Ugh. It is still going off, BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! You try to reach for it but cannot reach it from on top your bunk, so you hastily grasp the plug from the outlet and yank it out. Why do you dread the alarm clock? Are you sleepy, and why are you so sleepy? Could it be that you went to sleep at 12:00 texting on your phone. At school, you are drained and have little energy. Why is this? You probably have sleep deprivation. Sleep is often a topic not brought up in legitimate conversations.
So, how much sleep do you really need? Well, the amount of rest you need varies from person to person because of a few factors: height, weight, exercise, and eating habits. The average teen needs to obtain approximately eight and a half to nine and a half. Insufficient amounts of sleep can lead to increase in acne, decrease in memory, decrease in metabolism, and increase in drowsiness. Did you know that too much slumber is in most cases worse than too little sleep? In fact, too much sleep can lead to an increase in the risk for heart disease, diabetes, and even death. So, sleeping in until noon on a Saturday is not the best thing for you to do.
What truly happens when you go to sleep? First and foremost, you body rests. When you lay down to go to sleep, your body uses this time to rejuvenate itself. Your body falls into distinctive sleep cycles: non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM). NREM is when your body rehabilitates itself. REM is the duration of time when your brain is more active, so you tend to have dreams during this time. You continue to alternate between these two types of sleep throughout the night.
So now you know what a sufficient amount of sleep is you think it would be uncomplicated for everyone to get some rest, but then there are sleep disorders. Some of the most common sleep disorders are insomnia, somnambulism, and bruxism. Insomnia is the inability to sleep or stay asleep because of stress, anxiety, or illness. Somnambulism is sleepwalking. Many cases of sleepwalking are in young children and go away before they become adults. Bruxism is grinding of teeth. This is very unfortunate because it can wear down the teeth; however, if you have this, you can invest in some “retainer-like” trays that you sleep with in your mouth. The most predominant way to handle sleep disorders is to be diagnosed. If you think that you have a sleep disorder, than you should consult your local physician.
Consider this, a recent survey shows that only 31.1 percent of teenagers get the correct amount of sleep. There are a few things you can do to help. You can go to sleep earlier, put down your electronics an hour before you settle down to rest, and even taking 20 minute power naps on a daily basis. At this rate, with the increase of electronic use, teenagers will continue to get less and less sleep, leading to short-term memory loss. Therefore, test grades will get decline. You will have limited education options, leaving you to work at a low and little rewarding job. Is that really what you want?