Sleep deprivation has serious damaging effects, it impedes learning, behaviour and performance in young people’s lives. With sleep duration lower than eight hours a night, changes can be done to both human bodies and minds. The overall purpose of conducting this qualitative research study was to investigate the effects of insufficient sleep on different aspects of young people’s lives. Sample selection method used was purposive sampling therefore participants were from the developmental stages of youth with ten as its size.
Due to COVID-19 face-to-face interviews to come in contact with the individuals participating throughout the study, was impossible. The research was qualitatively conducted by an online case study using a survey with 6 open-ended questions that are focused strictly to gain in-depth information about individuals’ experience with little sleep, underlying reasons and motivations for that. The major findings of this research were shown in each individual survey, all ten of the participants reported that they do not get a full eight hours of sleep each night. Participants also noted the negative side effects they feel after having sleep less than eight hours All of them were aware of their lack of sleep and yet they continue to do so.
More often than not, the sleep schedule which is a part of everyone’s daily routine is not put into consideration, leading individuals to believe that they have the most efficient plan for themselves, without ever doubting that sleep could be taking a toll on their development. According to SingHealth (2018), during adolescence, sleep time begins to decline as opposed to previously in early stages of life. As they grow older, teenagers typically go to sleep later because of the combination of biological and socio-cultural influences such as independency and use of electronic devices, which can lead to decreased sleep time on a work or school night.
Biological changes during adolescence also plays a role in influencing the circadian rhythm of sleep (Kelley, 2019). The change in phase slowdown of circadian rhythm causes young adults to prefer later bedtimes and wake up times. Researchers have found that the quantity of sleep an individual requires tends to vary from individual to individual, however on average young people require at least 8 to 10 hours of sleep every day to be refreshed and best-rested.
The purpose of this study is to apprehend how the individuals’ sleep habits can affect their development, cognitive performance, and their physical abilities. It is possible for a person to get severely sick from daily insufficient amount of sleep. Study discovered that those that have little sleep are much more prone to get a higher ‘metabolic risk rating’. These group of people are also more likely to have abdominal fat, higher blood pressure, abnormal blood lipids, and insulin resistance, which carries potential of diabetes. (McCarthy, 2018).
This study is significant as it concerns lifestyle of an individual and the effects sleep has on their health. As sleep deprivation is not a disease that can be predicted but is often the result of other illnesses and life circumstances, therefore there is profound need for this study, to raise awareness of the harm that is being done to their bodies.
This study consisted participants of 10 young adults aged between 15 to 21 years old. All of them are either full/part-time students. Participants were chosen by purposive sampling method, who can adequately answer research questions and improve awareness of the topic being examined. Perhaps one of the most critical tasks in the planning process of the research is to find suitable participants
This survey qualified as a form of qualitative research since it was semi-structured, using 5 open-ended questions that focused strictly to gain in-depth information about individuals, their underlying reasons, motivations and experience going about their day after waking up. In addition to that, other materials used were 10 informed consent ready, 1 email account, 1 notes application.
The survey links were sent out via email and Whatsapp messaging platform to be done online. Participants answered the surveys at the comfort of their own homes. Since, the survey was done online, it was private and participants’ identities were kept confidential from one another. Verbal or written consent were also given by the participants to allow the use the data collected. . The chosen participants were also expected to take it seriously and reflect on their sleep schedule before COVID-19.
From the survey findings and supplementary information gathered incorporated, it can be understood that young people are affected negatively by sleep loss and there are multiple factors at play for their lack of sleep. However, the surprising thing is that, 8 out of 10 participants agreed that 8 hours or more of sleep was necessary to function properly. This finding was outstanding as 70% of them were having only 5 to 6 hours of sleep on a daily basis even though they agree that having 8 hours or more is necessary for better health and performance. according to statistics obtained in Singapore, nearly 80 per cent of youths reported lesser sleep than what the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) recommends. Is therefore concerning since sleep deprivation in young people has been associated with poorer learning and depressed mood (Carskadon, 2011).
When asking participants whether having lesser sleep had any impact on them, 8 out of 9 participants answered ‘Yes’ and that they experienced feeling tired(33.3%), drowsy (22.2%) and being unable to concentrate (33.3%). The answers also showed that many of them actually are aware of how lack of sleep can impact them, however they continue to have lesser sleep hours than required due to the motivations. Initially, young people may not feel a big impact from their poor sleep schedules.
Extended poor sleep was related to alterations in the brain including decreased responsiveness to stimulus and changes in effective coordination between areas of the brain. The outcomes of insufficient sleep are not limited to cognitive performance imparment; in addition it can also impair functions of the organs (Saghir, 2018). Thus by continuing, it allows their bodies to get affected cognitively and physically in ways that they may not be able to see or feel.
As all researches, there are limitations to this research. Firstly, the research lacked diversity and the participants chosen were all from a first world country with demographic background therefore it is harder to access the effects of sleep deprivation. Secondly, the current situation of COVID-19 has disrupted their usual sleep schedule, thus, even though they were asked to answer the questions based on their lifestyles before the event, it was still not very accurate. Furthermore, the online data collection method of survey was restricting and less credible as having too many questions will bore the person and they may end up giving any answers just to give an answer. Last but not least, the sample size was slightly too small to represent the actual population.
This study illustrates the need for young people be better aware of the consequences of not sleeping a healthy amount. More openness to sleep loss impact studies can offer unique opportunities to contribute to the empirical literature on important aspects of sleep deprivation impact.
There are a few suggestions for researchers wishing to conduct a similar study for future research. Firstly, a broader as well as more diversified study would yield better results for the research study. Also, a bigger sample will reduce the frequency of incorrect or unanswered surveys. In addition, recommendation for future work the survey results should be carefully reviewed to greatly reduce certain blunders. It would also be beneficial to results, to ensure that participants keep record of their sleep routine prior to study. Researchers can also conduct a multi-subject test to evaluate a multitude of findings. By doing these simple steps a great quality study should be produced.
Moreover, schools could lessen the volume of homework given to young people to help achieve better sleep hours. Educational institutions could also adjust the timetables forward by an hour, so that young people can have more sleep, yet still receive their full hours of schooling. More education should be given to parents to highlight the negative impacts of sleep deficiency to attempt to decrease the occurrence of sleep deprivation. Young people must play the role planning better sleep routine and possibly reduce unnecessary activities make time. Doing activities such as sports can also help with sleeping better. To sum up, if minor modifications were made to schools and young people’s lives, the damaging effects of sleep loss can be minimised.
