Everything You Need to Know About Sleep Deprivation
Sleep deprivation is defined based on sleep duration, which is the total amount of time a person spends asleep. In reality, though, being well-rested is about more than just how many hours you sleep. Sleep deprivation is caused by consistent lack of sleep or reduced quality of sleep. Getting less than 7 hours of sleep on a regular basis can eventually lead to health consequences that affect your entire body. This may also be caused by an underlying sleep disorder.
How Technology Impacts Your Sleep and What To Do About It
Self-reports suggest that sleep is indeed affected by technology use in the hour before bed. Such late-night technology users report less satisfactory sleep more often than those not using technology before bed. They are also more likely to feel sleepier during the day in a range of situations, including driving.
Technology use in the evenings may make it harder to drop off to sleep and can also reduce the quality of sleep and make you feel sleepier the next day. Using a screen for 1.5 hours or more seems to be when problems start, although not everyone is affected the same way.
Both the National Sleep Foundation and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine agree that teens need between 8 and 10 hours of sleep per night. Getting this recommended amount of sleep can help teens maintain their physical health, emotional well-being, and school performance.
Sleep is vital for people of any age. For teens, though, profound mental, physical, social, and emotional development requires quality sleep.
How To Get a Good Night's Sleep
Develop a regular sleep schedule. This is a challenge when you are learning how to adjust to the irregular class schedule and no one is making you get up on Saturdays but waking up the same time everyday makes it much easier to fall asleep.
Create a nice sleep environment. Talk to your roommate about temperature and noise levels you can agree on. White noise machines can help block out noises that may otherwise startle you awake. When in doubt, you can use earplugs!
