The Impact of sleep deprivation on academics

Introduction

This study aims to explore how lack of sleep affects performance exploring whether it can be

helpful or harmful. The study will gather reviews and perspectives to fill in the gaps in

comprehending the link between sleep deprivation and academic success.

Sleep Deprivation

An Article by Giuseppe Curcio, Michele Ferrara and Luigi De Gennaro about “Sleep

loss, learning capacity and academic performance” on January 11, 2005, this article supports

the growing body of research highlighting the critical role of sleep-in student’s learning. It

analyzes the connection between sleep deprivation and academic performance, drawing on

studies that go beyond simple correlations. While past research often correlated sleep schedules

with academic achievement, this article explores studies that actively manipulated sleep duration.

The findings point to a common picture: chronic sleep deprivation is a common issue among

students, and it negatively impacts learning capacity and academic performance. Sleep loss

hinders both factual and skill-based learning, and manipulating sleep duration can directly

worsen or improve academic performance. The article proposes a link between the prefrontal

cortex, involved in cognitive control, and vulnerability to sleep deprivation. Finally, it

acknowledges limitations in past research methods and suggests directions for future studies to

further solidify the connection between sleep and student learning.

 In another article by K Ahrberg, M Desler, S Niedermaier, A Steiger and L Genzel “The

interaction between sleep quality and academic performance” Sleep deprivation may help

with studying exams, but what's the point if you can't stay awake? This saying perfectly captures

the struggles of medical students cramming for exams. This study delves deeper, highlighting the

critical yet often neglected factor of sleep quality in academic performance. While pulling all-

nighters might seem like a strategic use of time to cram information, the research shows it can

backfire spectacularly.

Plausible Causes

The study found a clear link between pre-exam sleep quality and performance on medical board

exams. Students who reported poorer sleep in the lead-up to the exam scored lower. Stress also

played a significant role, with higher stress levels pre-exam correlating with lower scores.

Interestingly, chronic sleep issues didn't necessarily predict poor performance. It seems the

immediate stress and sleep deprivation surrounding the exam itself have the most significant

impact.

The findings suggest a vicious cycle: stress disrupts sleep, leading to poorer performance, which

can then lead to even more stress. Furthermore, a troublingly high number of students (59%)

experienced sleep disturbances during exam prep. These results emphasize the need for

interventions to improve sleep hygiene in medical students. While cramming for exams might

feel productive in the short term, prioritizing sleep offers a clearer path to academic success,

especially when coupled with stress management techniques. After all, cramming information
into a sleep-deprived brain is like writing on water – the knowledge washes away come exam

time.

In another research by Natalie Guadiana and Taylor L. Okashima the research focused on

examining sleep difficulties among college students. A notable percentage (27%) encountered

insomnia or similar conditions. It is noteworthy that more than half (51.9%) met the standards

for insomnia according to the DSM 5 guidelines (Schlarb et al. 2017). Despite these sleep

challenges respondents noted enhancements in sleep quality, personal traits related to sleep and

objective sleep assessments. Yet the study had its limitations, such as sample size and lack of a

control group, for comparison.

As we dive in deeper, we find several arguments and opinions on a student's perspective on

Sleep deprivation and its effects on one's academic performance. Several cases and studies have

presented different results.

RQ1: What are the most common reasons why students have sleep

deprivation?
The study identifies various factors contributing to sleep deprivation among students, including:

According to the UCLA Center for Mental Health in Schools,

The margin of reasons is broad, including a wide range of social, cultural, environmental, and

biological factors (e.g., personal interests and problems; involvement with “extracurricular”
activities including technology and social media; academic demands; living conditions that

interfere with sleep and such). For many students, other aspects of their lives seem more

important than sleeping. For example, a considerable number of students use social media before

going to bed (Richter, 2015). And even if they do want to go to sleep earlier and sleep longer,

there are biological factors and not to mention school schedules make it difficult for them. They

have trouble falling asleep earlier, and they are woken up before their brain has had sufficient

time to recover from the day before. Here is one of the culprits

1. Smart phones and social media

According to the Pew Research Center survey, more than 90% of American teenagers are

now equipped with cell phones and about a quarter of them say they are always busy online

(Lenhart, 2015). Besides mobile phones, adolescents have access to and often use other

electronic gadgets at the same time. In addition, 72% of teens bring their phones into their

bedrooms before sleeping. Also, in an analysis by the National Sleep Foundation on electronics

use, nearly 30% leave their devices on while asleep and report being awakened by texts, calls or

emails at night. Moreover, in the hour before going to sleep, some 64% make use of digital

music media players, 60% use laptops computers, 23% play video games and over half said they

texted. Additionally, those who were heavily involved in phone activities as well as social media

sites (Richter, 2015) did not get enough rest and could be found driving when sleepy. Those

addicted to their mobile phones or online networks were less likely to claim that they had a good

sleep at night and became refreshed in the morning but could be found behind a wheel while

feeling drowsy (Richter, 2015).

 Students are more Inclined to use their gadgets for leisure and relaxation rather than

schoolwork and productivity. This leads to them losing track of time and being stuck on their

phone screens the entire day while getting nothing done, this is why some parents and teachers

believe that gadgets should be restricted, or at least controlled. But what they misunderstand is

that sometimes these gadgets can be an escape for these students from the stress and hardships of

school etc.

According to Psych Central [Medically reviewed by Matthew Boland, PhD — By Emma

Dibdin — Updated on April 26, 2022] here are some ways to cut down on your screentime

 Identify your triggers, social media gives you a desire for connection.

 Put your phone away at night, problematic smartphone use especially at bedtime leads to

detrimental sleep quality

 Reduce your notifications, notifications are tempting. Use your phone’s designated “Do not

Disturb” feature

 Try cognitive behavioral therapy or mindfulness, A CBT therapist can work with you to

identify the underlying thoughts or beliefs that may be driving your excessive cellphone

use.

Ways to help aid you addiction

A deduction of numerous research studies led to this conclusion, a series of events that will lead

to sleep deprivation and an impact of sleep quality and quantity

1. Nighttime Screen Time: Social media and screens zap your melatonin, the sleep hormone,

making it harder to fall asleep.

2. Anxiety & Late-Night Cramming: Worries and schoolwork keep you up late, further

disrupting your sleep cycle.

3.Blue Light & Restless Sleep: Smartphones emit blue light that suppresses melatonin and

contributes to poor sleep quality.

4. Daytime Fatigue & Stimulants: Exhaustion or tiredness will influence you to reach for a

sugary or caffeinated drink for a quick fix, but these disrupt future sleep.

5. Repeat: The cycle continues - poor sleep leads to needing stimulants such as the ones stated,

which worsen future sleep causing the cycle to never break.

Reasonings

According to the study by the National Sleep Foundation, it is concluded that sleep

deprivation by phone use is damaging, though it can offer short-term benefits like a release of

dopamine and serotonin. However, these benefits are outweighed by the severe long-term risks.

Health issues like insomnia may develop over time due to the negative effects of sleep

deprivation from phones. This claim can be supported by the article "How Sleep Deprivation

Affects Your Day" by the National Sleep Foundation .

Phone-induced sleep deprivation might offer the potential of increased sensitivity. Going through

social media or completing assignments that are stimulated by blue light and online material can

give a temporary high. Nevertheless, studies conducted by the National Sleep Foundation reveal

that even minor sleep deprivation affects cognitive functioning, response time and decision-

making capacity. This might be extremely dangerous when it comes to activities like driving or

studying that require concentration. Another presumed upside is raising creativity levels. One
may think that this is possible when they stay up late brainstorming ideas as a result of the

illumination from their phones. However, this interpretation could be wrong as findings indicate

it is more likely a misinterpretation of tiredness. These may include broken thought processes

and difficulty in linking ideas which can be mistaken for some kind of creativity spark. The

negative aspects associated with phone-related insomnia are rather scary. A number of health

problems such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes have been associated with long-term lack of

sleep. Moreover, melatonin production, an essential hormone created during each night’s sleep to

monitor different stages, also gets disrupted by blue light emitted from mobile phones. Besides,

fatigue may lead to emotional instability characterized by anxiety disorders and depression.

To sum up, apparent advantages given by a phone induced high is not worth sacrificing your

academic performance, even if it fulfills your desire for connection through social media and

messaging apps. The cons simply outweigh the pros by tenfold. Now we can say one of the most

common reasons of sleep deprivation is Smart Phones.

RQ2: What are the effects of Sleep deprivation in a student’s academic

performance?

Cognitive function

Adolescents, according to researchers (Chiara Baglioni et al. 2011), need between 8-10 hours of
sleep each night so as to optimize their cognitive functions; however, most students do not get

enough sleep because they spend most of their time at night studying or doing other things like

checking their social media accounts.

One of the major impacts of sleep deprivation is the decline in cognitive performance. According

to sleep helps in memory consolidation as well as development of neural circuits that are

required for learning and academic performance. In a study conducted by Joo et al., (2013) it was

found that lack of enough rest hinders the process of memory consolidation making it difficult to

retain what has been learned during the day. This may result in difficulties with understanding

complex ideas, meeting deadlines for submission of assignments and doing well in examinations.

Moreover, this implies that students who are experiencing a shortage in slumber will be less

capable than others in terms of solving problems and engaging in critical thinking. The

consequences include slower reaction times, diminished creative capacities and compromised

decision-making skills within individuals suffering from insomnia. Consequently, these

deficiencies can make it very hard for some pupils to deal with such multifaceted academic tasks

even if they have full knowledge about them.

The inability to concentrate and focus due to lack of sleep also affects academic performance

negatively. Studies conducted by Durmer & Dinges (2005) have shown that impaired attention

can lead to serious problems like ADHD — symptoms alike among those who suffer from

chronic tiredness – and even cause inappropriate behaviors on the part of school-going

adolescents.
Mental Wellbeing

Sleep deprivation also has an unfavorable effect on a student’s emotional well-being, which can

frustrate academic performance even more. Lack of sleep may lead to increased stress,

uneasiness and annoyance. According to Bubboloni et al. (2009, there was a relationship

between sleep deprivation and signs of depression and anxiety in adolescents. These emotional

struggles make it difficult for students to focus in class, participate actively and manage their

workloads effectively. Moreover, Sleep deprivation can worsen symptoms of pre-existing mental

health conditions thus hindering the student’s coping abilities with academic demands.

In conclusion, the impacts of sleep deprivation on learners are widespread and harmful towards

educational growth. Right from impaired cognitive function to emotional distress, lack of sleep

has an adverse effect on a student’s ability to learn, remember information as well as performing

in school. To attain maximal academic potential students must give priority to sleep hygiene and

ensure they have enough rest.

RQ3: What are the benefits of sleep deprivation? And what are the

thoughts of the students?

Conclusion

Grade 11 students may believe pulling an all-nighter offers a short-term advantage in alertness or

productivity. However, the scientific evidence points towards a different reality – sleep

deprivation hinders learning, memory, and critical thinking skills, ultimately undermining

academic success..
 References

0.5 H:\sleep.wpd (ucla.edu)

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(2011): 1089-1095. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3144423/

2. https://psychcentral.com/addictions/coping-with-cell-phone-addiction

3. Bubboloni, Gina et al. "Sleep problems and adolescent depression: a bidirectional relationship."

Journal of adolescent health vol. 45,2 (2009): 181-187.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10021029/

4. Walker, Matthew. "Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams." Scribner,
2017. (This is a book, not a website. You can find it in most libraries or online retailers.)

5. Joo, Seok et al. "The precuneus mediates sleep-specific consolidation of emotional memory."
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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8108548/

6. Van Dongen, Hans P A et al. "Slowing down the circadian clock for a single cycle does not
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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8756734/

7. National Sleep Foundation. "Mental Health and Sleep."

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/mental-health

8. National Sleep Foundation. "How Much Sleep Do Kids Need?"

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/teens-and-sleep/
9. National Sleep Foundation. "How Sleep Deprivation Affects Your Day."
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/sleep-deprivation/

10. Giuseppe Curcio , Michele Ferrara, Luigi De Gennaro “Sleep loss, learning capacity and
academic performance”

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16564189/

11. Jeffrey S Durmer, David F Dinges “Neurocognitive consequences of sleep deprivation”

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19543909/