Sleep is for the Weak?

            I enjoy playing League of Legends or Sid Meier’s Civilization V until five in the morning as much as the next person, but at some point, I wonder if this instant gratification and short-term happiness is worth the loss of future endeavors. How much does lack of sleep actually affect a person’s activities the next day? According to a chart published in Popular Science, a lack of sleep can be extremely detrimental, in fact, sleep deprivation can cure multiple issues about a human, such as mental disorders, mental clarity, and weight gain. Although many people do not think this actually affects them that much, or think, “I have done this enough times that it does not change my normal routine anymore.” It actually does.

            Enough sleep is vital to the efficient function of a human being. A typical person will need seven to eight hours, and even six hours will cause harmful effects to the body. Without this extra hour of sleep, a standard human body will lose its mental acuity and actually seem slightly drunk. This, coupled with any actual alcohol one might take, multiplicatively decrease coherence and increase the amount of micro sleep – unintentional naps throughout the day – will most create an irritable person.

            A necessity for a functional human is food. Food is transformed into energy which helps focus the mind and provides nutrients for the body. This conversion is fairly efficient for it keeps many people alert during the day. However, a lack of sleep will decrease the overall efficiency for the body. Missing a night of sleep can in fact increase hunger hormones the next day, which requires the person to ingest approximately 20% more food to function at nearly the same rate as they could have with the amount of sleep needed. Teenage brains are also developing at this time and need sleep to further this development.

            Oftentimes, students do not have a choice. This is an important idea because many teachers often give busywork to students for a grade. This kind of work does not help the brain in the first place because it is just what it is termed, “busywork” and teaches no new material. This detrimental effect is doubled again when it keeps the student awake late at night to complete this, and so the brain is deprived of crucial time to develop. Yet, teachers still require students to be awake during their classes, though the students lack sleep, which is a huge contradiction.