As per Stanford Medicine Children’s Health, studies show that nearly 70% of teenagers don’t get enough sleep on school nights. Think of sleep as the fuel your body and mind need to function at their best. When you run on empty, everything suffers – from your schoolwork to your mood and even your overall health.
Not getting enough sleep makes it incredibly hard to focus. You might find yourself zoning out in class, struggling to remember what you studied, or making careless mistakes on assignments. Sleep deprivation is also like a recipe for crankiness. When you're tired, you're more likely to snap at friends, feel short-tempered, or get overwhelmed easily and over time, constantly missing out on sleep takes a toll on your body, young people who don't sleep enough are more likely to develop problems like obesity, diabetes, depression, and anxiety.
What happens when we sleep?
Sleeping might feel like you’re just flipping a switch and turning off your brain but on the contrary, your brain and body are actually working hard throughout the night. Think of sleep as a journey through several stages.
- Light Sleep (Non-REM 1 & 2): This is the drifting off phase. Your heartbeat slows, muscles relax, and your brainwaves start to change.
- Deep Sleep (Non-REM 3): Your body goes into repair mode. Growth hormones are released, cells regenerate, and your immune system gets a boost."
- REM Sleep: This is when you enter the world of dreams. Your eyes move rapidly, and your brain becomes super active, almost like it's awake. REM sleep is crucial for consolidating memories and processing emotions.
You cycle through these sleep stages multiple times throughout the night. Getting enough time in each stage is vital for feeling fully rested and refreshed in the morning.
How do you know you’re sleep-deprived?
Sleep deprivation isn't simply about yawning all day. It affects your entire being, so keep an eye out for these signs:
- Trouble Concentrating: Focusing on a task feels impossible like your mind is filled with spider webs.
- Poor Decision-Making: Everything gets harder, from choosing what to wear to more complex choices.
- Irritability: Little things set you off, and you feel cranky even without a clear reason.
- Feeling Down: For some people, sleep deprivation can worsen anxiety or depressive symptoms.
- Increased Hunger: Your body craves energy it's not getting, especially sugary and fatty junk food.
- Weakened Immunity: Getting sick more often could be a sign you're not sleeping enough.
Connecting these struggles back to sleep can be the first step toward finding a solution. Listen to what your body and mind are telling you.
How to Get Better Sleep?
The key to better sleep is sleep hygiene. So what is sleep hygiene exactly?
Sleep hygiene refers to the habits and routines that can help you fall asleep faster, sleep more soundly, and wake up feeling refreshed. Here are tips for a better sleep hygiene.
- Be Consistent: Your body loves routine. Aim for the same bedtime and wake-up time every day.
- Ditch the Screens: The blue light from phones, laptops, and TVs messes with your sleep hormones. Power down at least an hour before bed.
- Bedtime Ritual: Create a calming wind-down routine in the hour before bed. Think of warm baths, reading, gentle stretching, or listening to relaxing music.
- Perfect Your Environment: Make sure your bedroom is dark, quiet, cool, and reserved for sleep only (no working or studying in bed).
- Fuel Right: Avoid heavy meals, caffeine, and alcohol before bed. These can disrupt your sleep.
- Get Moving: Regular exercise promotes better sleep, but avoid intense cardio too close to bedtime.
Small changes can have big impacts, You don't have to overhaul everything at once. Start with one or two changes and see how they affect your sleep.