As a teenager, I know all too well how sleep can easily be dismissed as unimportant in the face of watching another episode, reading the next chapter, or completing the last homework assignment. However, it’s important to recognize and think about why sleep is so important for our function and development. What effect does sleep have on our teenage brains?
So, what happens when we sleep? Although our body is resting, the brain is active, performing a multitude of tasks. More specifically, brain and body activity during sleep can be divided into four distinct stages: NREM 1 (Light Sleep), NREM 2 (Intermediate Sleep), NREM 3 (Deep Sleep), and REM (Rapid Eye Movement Sleep). The third stage, NREM 3, is especially important because it is the period in which our body is able to repair tissues and improve the immune system function. However, in regards to the brain, the fourth step, or REM sleep, is undoubtedly the most essential stage. During the fourth stage, the brain transfers and stores information and memories from the day for long term use. Additionally, this phase serves as a time where emotional regulation can occur. By connecting recent emotional experiences, particularly negative ones, to past memories, the brain supports smoother emotional adjustment. Emotion-processing, which occurs during REM sleep, is important for the regulation of our mood, which greatly affects us in our everyday lives.
REM sleep occurs 90 minutes after falling asleep, so short naps won’t reach this stage. Teens are recommended to sleep for 8 to 10 hours a day, but over 87% of high schoolers fall below that mark. Without proper sleep, our bodies won’t be able to heal, and our brains won’t properly store memories and process emotions. In addition to those issues, sleep deprivation can lead to a multitude of mental health related problems, including depression, anxiety, and even thoughts of suicide.
All in all, sleep, no matter how much some high school students wish to overlook it, is an essential part of our lives, and is required for our bodies to properly function. With sleep deprivation becoming a large issue in teens, it’s time to address the problem and to put an end to a norm that’s harming our brains, bodies, and mental health.
Works Cited:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2952759/#:~:text=Cartwright’s%20conclusion%20is%20that%20dreaming,the%20larger%20sense%20of%20self.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1389945724006014#:~:text=Emotion%20processing%20involves%20multiple%20stages,in%20emotion%20regulation%20%5B30%5D.
https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2015/10/among-teens-sleep-deprivation-an-epidemic.html
