Murad Abbasov
ENG 1201
Prof Hellmers
November 24, 2021
Literature Review
Introduction: We spend 1/3 of our lives sleeping, meaning it is an essential part of our
existence and survival. Sleep deprivation is a widespread problem seen all around the world
among the students of this generation. Sleep deprivation occurs when there is an inadequate
amount of sleep. Data from the CCDC (Centers for Disease Control) indicates that over 57% of
middle school students and 72% of high school students reported sleeping less than what was
recommended based on their age and 23.8% of adolescents included (Eric Suni). Overtime,
without enough sleep, students can have problems with attention, memory, and problem-solving.
Sleep deprivation can also contribute to emotional issues and behavior problems that may affect
academic achievement. Therefore, it is vital to investigate how sleep really affects the brain and
how it leads to bigger issues.
Source 1: In the article, “8 a.m. high school? Sleep habits of pandemic teens suggest
benefits of later start times” Suzanne Hood states that Inadequate sleep is linked to deficits in
attention and memory skills. She provides statistics with school districts that have experimented
with later school start times. Overall, these experiments have been successful, with students
reporting more nightly sleep and less sleepiness in the classroom with later start times. In view of
this evidence, organizations such as the American Pediatric Society and the American Academy
of Sleep Medicine recommend that high schools not start class before 8:30 a.m. (Hood). The
Author frequently states that high schools should not start early, or till at least 8:30 as this can
leave many students sleepy to participate effectively in the classroom and eventually lead to
binge sleeping on the weekends.
Source 2: Eric Suni’s article “Improve Your Child’s School Performance with a Good
Night’s Sleep” provides information on what problems are associated with lack of sleep and how
to improve sleep and school performance. Suni states that decreased attention, Impaired memory,
slowed processing, reduced creativity, worsened sequential thinking are problems caused from
lack of sleep. Eric Suni quotes “sleep provides a time for memory encoding, which is when the
brain stores and strengthens the recollection of an image or thought. Without adequate sleep,
memories may not be properly formed, and it may also be more difficult to accurately recall
stored information.” He also provides common causes of sleep deprivation such as excessive
phone usage being one of the biggest causes. As many as 89% of teens reported having their
phone in their bedroom at night in the National Sleep Foundation’s 2014 Sleep in America Poll.
These devices stimulate the brain, which can make it harder to get to sleep. They also emit blue
light, a type of light that can interfere with normal sleep. (Eric, 2021).
Source 3: Summarizing the scholarly source written by the Indian Journal of Health &
Wellbeing, it goes over how lack of sleep and daytime drowsiness are dangerous for
undergraduates, and can result in worse grades, increased chance of poor academic performance,
trading off learning, mood changes, and increased risk of alcohol and drugs. This research
examines the state of sleep deprivation among college students, the variables that contribute to
sleep deprivation, and the value of sleep for improved learning and memory. This research
recommends that sleep problems, which are not often included as a risk factor for depression and
academic failure, should be considered.
Source 4: Sleep deprivation, vigilant attention, and brain function: a review, by the author
Amanda Hudson researches the key major component of a wide range of cognitive performance
tasks in relation to sleep deprivation. Vigilant attention is impaired by sleep deprivation and
restored after rest breaks and (more enduringly) after sleep. The author concludes that the
vigilance decrement, or time-on-task effect—a decline in performance across the duration of a
vigilant attention task—is characterized by progressively increasing response variability, which
is exacerbated by sleep loss.
Source 5: Even though multiple survey research has found links between sleep and
cognitive function, quantitative data utilizing objective measurements to explicitly analyze the
relationship between sleep and academic achievement is still lacking as seen in a research article
by NPJ, science of learning. In the research that the article provided, multiple sleep
measurements were linked with in-class performance on quizzes and midterm examinations
among 100 students in an introductory college chemistry class (88 of whom finished the
research). Overall, better grades were associated with improved sleep quality, duration, and
regularity. However, there was no link between sleep quality and test performance on the night
before a test; instead, sleep length and quality over the month and week before a test were linked
to higher grades. Nearly a quarter of the difference in academic achievement was accounted for
by sleep metrics.
Working Bibliography
“Can School Performance Be Improved with Good Sleep?” Sleep Foundation, 15 Jan. 2021,
www.sleepfoundation.org/children-and-sleep/sleep-and-school-performance.
Hudson, Amanda N., et al. “Sleep Deprivation, Vigilant Attention, and Brain Function: A
Review.” Neuropsychopharmacology: At the Intersection of Brain, Behavior, and
Therapeutics, vol. 45, no. 1, 2020, p. 21. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1038/s41386-019-0432-6.
Khemka, Pransh, et al. “Causes of Sleep Deprivation and Its Effect on Performance of Students
and Their Mental Health.” Indian Journal of Health & Wellbeing, vol. 11, no. 7–9, Sept.
2020, pp. 437–442. EBSCOhost,
search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=147140634&site=eds-live.
Okano, Kana, et al. “Sleep Quality, Duration, and Consistency Are Associated with Better
Academic Performance in College Students.” Nature News, Nature Publishing Group, 1
Oct. 2019, www.nature.com/articles/s41539-019-0055-z.
Suzanne Hood Associate Professor of Psychology. “8 A.m. High School? Sleep Habits of
Pandemic Teens Suggest Benefits of Later Start Times.” The Conversation, 25 Oct. 2021,
theconversation.com/8-a-m-high-school-sleep-habits-of-pandemic-teens-suggest-
benefits-of-later-start-times-165918.
