Students delete sleep from operational menu, triggering damaging effects

Between clubs, sports, jobs, and school, it has become a normal part of a student’s life to have minimal downtime. When someone has a tight schedule, some things, no matter their importance, tend to get pushed to the side or completely ignored altogether. When necessities such as sleep aren’t met, however,  it can be harmful to the growth of a student’s mind and body in the teenage years. 

Researcher Allan Rechtschaffen said in 1978 that, “‘if sleep does not serve as an absolutely vital function, then it is the biggest mistake the evolutionary process has ever made.’” There has been extensive research over the years on how important sleep is for the body to recharge and have the ability to complete day-to-day tasks. 

A lack of sleep can also cause people to become dependent on coffee and energy drinks, especially those with a high level of caffeine. Junior Abi Potratz has seen a direct correlation between her caffeine intake and the amount of sleep she gets. 

“I sleep around six hours most nights and I’m usually pretty cranky in the morning because of it,” she said. “Not long after lunch I really want a nap and that’s when the caffeine addiction started.”

Despite the attempts to get the recommended amount of sleep, senior Lucas Muellenbach notices his personality changes depending on the actual amount of sleep he gets.

“I get around six hours of good sleep on school nights and closer to eight hours on the weekend,” he said. “I’ve noticed that when I go to bed earlier and get more sleep, my mood seems to be better.”

A student’s mood is not the only piece of mental health that a lack of sleep can hinder. 

Thea Ramsey reported that, “with every additional night of insufficient sleep, the risk of experiencing mental health symptoms increased on average by more than 20%.”

Student mental health has been on a generational decline and the amount of sleep someone gets plays a large factor. 

“I think when I get less sleep it plays a factor into my immediate mental health,” Potratz said. “It also hasn’t made stress management any easier.”

Based on the recommendations and average number of hours for high school students to complete their task list every day, there would need to be about 27 hours in a day. It is recommended that teenagers get 8-10 hours of sleep every day. However, because there aren't enough hours in the day, the length of quality sleep is usually the first thing that people shorten.

On top of sleep, other human necessities are avoided to save time. Eating properly is also put off by students in an attempt to complete more tasks during the day. Sophomore Shua Thor has seen her eating habits affect her relationships between meals. 

“I will fight with people about nothing and after I eat I feel better,” she said. “When I don’t eat, I can tell I have less energy and it makes me feel like I don’t have the same abilities as I do when I eat normally.”

Mental health is not the only thing at risk when students put off proper eating. Potratz has experienced the physical side effects.

“I already have health issues so my eating habits can make it worse,” she said. “I can get nauseous and dizzy and that makes it even harder to focus in school.”

Many students don’t even realize that they are participating in these habits. Sophomore Persephone McDougal found herself in this cycle.

“School had become stressful and it was much harder for me to focus,” she said. “My personal life also got very stressful and everything seemed to be an even bigger problem than it really was.”

As students continue to put these necessities aside, their bodies become used to the lack of nutrition and rest, making it even harder for students to complete the recommendations. Sophomore Parker Loberg has seen first hand what it feels like to attempt to meet the recommended amount of food and sleep after avoiding it for so long.

“I really only eat one meal a day and that’s what my body has gotten used to,” she said. “When I eat more than what is normal for me, even if it is what I am supposed to be eating, I feel like I never want to eat again because I’m so full that I feel sick.”

Without the proper amount of sleep and dietary attention, students’ physical and mental health can suffer much more than the average student. With so few hours in a day these necessities may seem to be the easiest things to cut out, but they are far from the safest. Loberg understands this and wants to keep others from falling into the same cycle. 

“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” she said. “Not every routine is going to work for you and that’s alright. Keep yourself safe and find something that is going to help you instead of hurt you in order to keep control of your day to day life.”

By Sophie Burke

Oshkosh West Index Volume 118 Issue 4

January 31st, 2022