Republic of the Philippines

City of Taguig
Taguig City University
Gen. Santos Avenue, Central Bicutan, Taguig City

Introduction

Humans spend one-third of their lives sleeping, so it is not surprising that the topic of sleep has aroused
the intellectual curiosity of philosophers, scientists, and physicians since ancient times. The function of sleep,
the mechanisms of sleep regulation and sleep physiology, and the role of sleep in human mental and physical
health have been questioned since at least the fourth century B.C. Aristotle asserted that the function of sleep is
to make possible the sensory perception and the thought processes of wakefulness, and that an excess of being
awake is responsible for the "incapacity" that is sleep.

The relationship between having a good sleep and sleep deprivation has a most puzzling aspect: On one
hand, sleep disturbances are among the most common symptoms in depression, and the particular type of
altered sleep pattern is highly characteristic for the disease. On the other hand, the deprivation of night-time
sleep often results in a distinct, though usually short-lived, improvement in depressive symptomatology. It is
difficult to understand why the denial of an apparently impaired sleep process should have an antidepressant
effect. Although explanations have been offered to account for either the depressive sleep pattern or the
therapeutic effect of sleep deprivation, few hypotheses have so far attempted to encompass both aspects. In the
present article we propose a new hypothesis based on the two-process model of sleep regulation.

The effect of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance has also been documented previously with a
correlation between sleep quality and grade point average in first year university students. Moreover, sleep
deprivation has been shown to have a detrimental effect on certain aspects of working memory, such as filtering
efficiency, whilst Stroop test scores show degradation; however, this has been evidenced to be due to deficits in
reaction time rather than processing skills . Taken together, these data suggest that sleep deprivation may have a
limited effect on cognitive ability in university students.

This study aimed to determine whether a night of sleep deprivation, equivalent to an “all-nighter”, would
have a negative impact on the motor and cognitive performance of students, specifically focusing on reaction
time, executive function, working memory, and cardiopulmonary function.
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 Republic of the Philippines
City of Taguig
Taguig City University
Gen. Santos Avenue, Central Bicutan, Taguig City

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.

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 Republic of the Philippines
City of Taguig
Taguig City University
Gen. Santos Avenue, Central Bicutan, Taguig City

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 (Bergin 45; Noland 225). Sleep deprivation is a problem among students and is taking its toll
on academics.

Sleep deprivation drastically influences physical performance and ability. The optimal reaction
time for high school students is not achieved when under the effects of sleep deprivation (Carlozzi 28;
Christie 379; Harvard Health Publications 9). According to a recent study, the reaction time deficit
caused by sleep deprivation can be related to the effect of one-tenth percent of blood alcohol content
(Harvard Health Publications 9). The detriment of reaction time severely limits the ability of the brain
and mind to function properly (Carlozzi 28; Christie 379; Harvard Health Publications 9). Sleep
deprivation also has been shown to increase stress in students (School of Public Health 30; Noland
224). Insufficient sleep will cause a student to gain weight which in turn adds to stress at school. This
stress then causes a student to continually struggle with sleep deprivation (Noland 226). This
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 Republic of the Philippines
City of Taguig
Taguig City University
Gen. Santos Avenue, Central Bicutan, Taguig City

compounding stress can lead to serious health concerns like heart problems, reduction of immune
system, and an overall decrease in energy levels (Harvard Health Publications 10; Marzano 264;
Moldofsky). Student athletics is also affected by sleep deprivation. Students will not be able to excel
at athletics if they lack the necessary amount of sleep (School of Public Health 25). If a student’s
brain lacks a sufficient amount of sleep, its neural activity levels decrease, which impairs a student’s
physical ability (Marzano 265; Noland 225). Overall, sleep deprivation has a direct effect on the
physical aspects of a student’s life.

Along with affecting physical and academic factors in adolescent life, sleep deprivation also
alters the behaviors of affected high school students. The most prominent characteristics of sleep
deprived adolescents include changes in attitude, decreased motivation, and increased instances of
depression and anxiety (Harvard Health Publication 12; Noland224). Also, 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.
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 Republic of the Philippines
City of Taguig
Taguig City University
Gen. Santos Avenue, Central Bicutan, Taguig City

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).