Relative deprivation

In the Ted Talk, Claudia Aguirre discussed the effects of sleep deprivation and how it effects the body’s way of functioning. Her talk was primarily about what problems can occur when we do not get the necessary amount of sleep on a daily basis. On average in the United States about 66% of teenagers and 30% of adults are day after day sleep deprived. In one experiment, a 17 year old stayed awake for 11 days. On the second day without any sleep his eyes stopped dilating and the next day he was…

Should Schools Reconsider their Homework Policies? For most parents and educators, homework is one of the best things a student can do to improve their knowledge and skills. They are not the ones who are completing the assigned tasks, so for them, the benefits of homework outweigh the harms students experience. For students, on the other hand, homework can be dreaded nightmare. Most students view homework as a way teachers can extend school hours. The bright side of homework is that it creates…

To most people, a new baby means midnight feedings, dirty diapers, and no sleep for mom and dad. And while those first two might be unavoidable, let me assure you it is possible to have a baby and still get enough rest. It goes against common perception, and occasionally might go against your wishes (who doesn 't want to just snuggle their brand new baby ALL. THE. TIME?), but I promise you, with these suggestions you will get your baby on a sleep schedule (and dare I say sleeping through the…

There are many consequences of sleep disruption and inadequate sleep in youth. Sleep is a biological requirement that is controlled by the circadian clock, which regulates the timing of sleepiness and wakefulness throughout a 24-hour cycle. Without sleep, the body begins to weaken and experiences daytime sleepiness, fatigue, reduced alertness, and compromised performance in specific neurobehavioral domains. The severity of insufficient or disturbed sleep is usually a strong indicator of a sleep…

Do classes start too early in the morning? Do you find yourself falling asleep during class? Well, teenagers and young adults all across the globe experience this same problem. Research shows that teenagers and young adults have a more difficult time getting up in the morning due to a combination of brain activity as well as priorities involving everyday life. Starting the school day later shows an improvement in grades, a reduction of abstinences and tardies, and a decrease in student car…

The quality of the sleep you receive has a lot to do with the way you feel during the day. Sleep occurs in two stages; REM Sleep and Non-REM sleep. Both stages are equally important to the human body as well as the amount of time slept. Sleep deprivation is a condition that occurs when you do not receive enough sleep. One might wonder how much sleep is needed for an individual to not be…

Discussion There are many ideas about why we sleep, but the most common one (that people know) is to gain restoration. Essentially, all energy burned throughout a single day is restored when we sleep. Depleted during the day, rebuilt during the night. What’s important to note is that many genes found within the brain are only stimulated and active during sleep; more importantly, these genes are associated with restoration and metabolic pathways, so this idea makes sense. The most profound and…

Imagine being in the library at the early hours of morning before your final exam. You are thinking to yourself as you are studying why “did I wait last minute to study all this material”. Does this sound familiar to you? Well if so, you are not alone. Many college students find themselves having to cram for exams the night before. According to a poll taken by The Hawk Eye, 99 percent of college kids have reported that they have found themselves in the situation where they need to cram for an…

Japan’s national religion is influenced by folklore and culture and it ultimately affects the Japanese’s views and interpretations of events. Kazuhiko Fukuda, a psychologist, who wrote the book High Prevalence of Isolated Sleep Paralysis: Kanashibari Phenomenon in Japan, describes different survey results regarding kanashibari. One of the surveys given, asked the subjects about their perceptions of kanashibari. The survey was given to 235 college students who lived in Canada and in Japan (86…

the road, at school, at work and even during after school extra-curricular activities such as sports. Sleep deprivation can come from many things like poor sleep hygiene. This is where teenagers use electronics right before bed which causes brain activity to heighten and prolongs the inability to fall asleep. Stress caused by the ambition to do well in school also causes sleep deprivation. It is common knowledge to recognize that when adolescents don’t receive enough sleep they will either doze…