What Happens When Teen Doesn’t Get Enough Sleep?

What Happens When Teen Doesn't Get Enough Sleep?

Overview

Getting enough sleep every night is very essential for normal functioning of the body. Most teenagers are nowadays deprived of sleep because of staying up late on the internet and playing games. A teenager is supposed to have at least 8 hours of sleep. But that is not the case; blame it all on social media and poor scheduling. Insufficient sleep is a bad habit and can result in effects like mood swings, inability to think clearly, overreacting, and failure to control emotions with lowered learning pace. This can be a big nightmare in one’s life. Take a look at what happens when teenagers don’t get enough sleep:

1. Health Problems

It seems absurd to see most teenagers suffering health problems which are mostly associated with old age. Health problems associated with deprived sleep include heart-related problems like heart failure or heart attack. They can also get high blood pressure stroke or diabetes. These diseases can increase the risk of having inflammation of the joints resulting in joint pain. Most joint pains facts recommend enough sleep.

2. Slow to Learn

Teens have a lot to learn in school and life. By depriving themselves of sleep staying up late slows down their ability to learn faster. This is possible as their attention, concentration and reasoning are impaired by lack of enough sleep. The habit of staying up late takes away the memories from the mind thus unable to remember what they learned.

3. Overeating

Lack of sleep tends to increase hunger or appetite. It also stimulates high cravings for junks.This result to teenagers is eating more than enough. Too much eating can lead to excessive weight gain and even obesity. When one gets obese, they are at high risk of getting diseases associated with obesity. Obesity can get teenagers exposed to common types of arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis. At severe cases arthritis can limit movement. Studies have shown that the increased appetite due to lack of sleep is associated with peptides that regulate food cravings. Sleep deprivation is associated with an imbalance of ghrelin which stimulates hunger signals. Using a product like neuro-clarity can help correct the imbalance.

4. High Risk of Accidents

A study in the North Carolina State found out that 55% of car accidents as a result of sleep deprivation were caused by drivers under the age of 25. Sleeplessness can lower the concentration resulting to teen crushes. Getting deprived of sleep can lead to illnesses which cause driving drowsy. It also creates a high tendency of taking alcohol which leads to drunken driving causing accidents and deaths.

5. Skin Problems

The skin requires enough sleep to give it time to regenerate. By sleeping your skin gets relaxed and recovers from the stresses which could result in skin issues. When the teens get deprived of sleep, they are prone to skin problems like acne and pimples and especially dark circles under the eyes. This can make their skin age faster

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Conclusion

Teenagers should avoid the bad habit lifestyles of depriving themselves of sleep. They should finish up their tasks early enough to have enough sleep, doing things like homework at the last minute can make them stay up late. Taking naps during the day is a healthy way of refreshing. Avoid nicotine and caffeine in the evening for undisturbed sleep routine. Respect your body and make sleep a priority.

Author Bio

Kathy Mitchell was born and raised in the USA. She has done MA in English literature. She is contributing to consumer health digest, which is a leading health news platform. Get connected with her on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.