Argument Proposal Essay

Caroline Gorham

Professor Hammett

Essay 1 Argument Proposal

13 March 2023

Word Count: 1032

 

Sleep Deprivation

            Have you noticed yourself or peers having difficulty focusing, poor memorization, or increased aggressiveness? These are all common signs of sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation is common and is seen more as a trend than it is a medical issue. Despite the negative physical and mental consequences, humans continue pushing themselves to the limits, whether it be to finish a project at work, an assignment for school, or just for fun. Sleep deprivation has become normalized throughout the years, and it is time that solutions such as a smaller workload, minimized screen time, and decreasing the popularity of night life, come to light.

            Sleep deprivation is common, and is detrimental to physical and mental health. An inadequate amount of sleep has clear repercussions that can be dangerous:

 “These neuro-endocrine changes frequently result in young people not obtaining adequate total sleep, referred to as sleep deprivation, which has been linked to important adverse health consequences such as mood disturbances, poor academic performance, increased food intake and weight gain, and engaging in substance use behaviour.” (Conklin Et Al. 1).

 Luckily, most, if not all, of the side effects are reversable by implementing rules and applying

            Sleep deprivation is commonly found in the workforce and at school, and reducing the workload for students and adults will increase motivation and minimize stress. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) led to an all-time high in healthcare unemployment. The rise in cases led to thousands of doctors and nurses being overworked and losing passion for their jobs:

 “When individuals experience an increase in workload, there should be an increase in their emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and anger, resulting in an increase in distress. And distress should contribute positively to depression.” (Greenglass Et Al. 4).

 This meant that they spent less time at home resting and relaxing, and more time at work taking care of patients. The same goes for students and other professions. A heavy workload increases stress which leads to less sleep, which then affects health and relationships. By reducing the workload, employees would not have to work as many continuous hours and the times they are working would be less stressful. This allows for more sleep and overall rest, which leads to increased productivity. Reducing the workload can be done by equally spreading it out among people, improving on time management skills, and communicating with bosses or teachers when feeling overworked or stressed. Those small actions will hopefully lead to a decreased workload, resulting in less stress and more motivation for the activity.

            Technology is a crucial part of everyday life, and a primary cause of sleep deprivation. It is used in a variety of ways including work, school, appointments, restaurants, entertainment purposes, and more. Despite its negative effects, technology is seen in nearly every aspect of life. Cell phones are distracting from work and harmful to the brain as well as physical health, “Screen time, in particular, television viewing, has been negatively associated with the development of physical and cognitive abilities, and positively associated with obesity, sleep problems, depression and anxiety.” (Domingues-Montanari 1). Most teenagers and adults are addicted to their phones and are on it more than the recommended amount, especially late at night. Matthew A. Christensen and others conducted a study measuring screen time and sleep and found that “Longer average screen-time was associated with shorter sleep duration and worse sleep-efficiency. Longer average screen-times during bedtime and the sleeping period were associated with poor sleep quality, decreased sleep efficiency, and longer sleep onset latency”. Their work proves a direct correlation between technology and poor sleep due to a scientific reason. Overusing devices such as laptops, cell phones, or television causes s harmful blue light to interfere with our body’s melatonin secretion, which disturbs sleep for that night and several nights following it (SCL Health). Therefore, a continued use of technology right before bed can alter your bodies hormone secretion, which induces sleep deprivation. Taking away any technology thirty minutes to an hour before bed, and doing something that stimulates your brain, will have positive effects on your sleep cycle. Taking small steps to separate yourself from social media, including do not disturb mode, screen time limits, or not charging your devices in your bedroom, are all starting points to get a fulfilling eight hours of sleep.

            Teenagers and young adults often spend their weekends partying with friends. It is no secret that in modern night life, drug and alcohol abuse have become popularized. With that, the detrimental side effects have also come to light, including permanent damage to your brain and body. Sleep is what keeps the human body functioning properly, and recent studies have found that recreational drugs have effects on sleep quality. Drugs affect focus and make it more difficult to fall into deep sleep for a full eight hours, “Administration of cocaine increases wakefulness and suppresses REM sleep.” and “Smoked marijuana and oral Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) reduce REM sleep” (Schierenbeck Et Al. 1).  Not only are there effects with active use, but they worsen with withdrawal. A stereotypical ‘night on the town’ also includes staying out until the early morning, which skews a normal sleep schedule. Reducing the popularity and access to these harmful agents will positively affect society. Consistently going to bed early and waking up at a decent time is helpful towards your mental and physical health. Closing down popular bars earlier or making it harder to access to alcohol can ultimately lead to an increase is sleep nationwide. Needless to say, any form of consistent partying or night life is not an ideal way to treat your body.

               It could be argued that the effects of sleep deprivation are not as severe as they are made out to be. Despite the research, the Navy’s boot camp originally only allowed six hours for sleep and eighteen hours for training, “As recently as 2001, recruits were allowed to sleep for only 6 hours per night (from 2200 to 0400.)” (Miller Et Al. 1). If the men and women that are serving our country are not getting eight hours of sleep a night, why does the general population? Truth is, the navy soon understood the dangerous repercussions of becoming sleep deprived. The young men and women in training may have been showing significant signs of sleep deprivation. Many things contribute to an unhealthy relationship with sleep, but the existence and effects of sleep deprivation cannot be argued against. Altogether, the effects of sleep deprivation are extremely harmful and undeniably apparent.

               Sleep deprivation has become normalized throughout the years because of an extensive workload, the addictive nature of technology and social media, as well as the popularity of night life and partying. Despite the immense amount of research that has been conducted and proven to be true time and time again, people continue to push their limits on their mental and physical health, whether it be for the reward of a few more hours of entertainment or to reach a deadline for work or school. Save your mental and physical health by implementing small changes in your daily life to improve the length and quality of your sleep.

           

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

Blum-Ross, Alicia, and Sonia Livingstone. “Families and Screen Time: Current Advice and Emerging Research.” LSE Research Online, The London School of Economics and Political Science, 1 June 2016, https://eprints.lse.ac.uk/66927/.

Christensen, Matthew A., et al. “Direct Measurements of Smartphone Screen-Time: Relationships with Demographics and Sleep.” PLOS ONE, vol. 11, no. 11, 2016, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0165331.

Conklin, Annalijn I., et al. “Chronic Sleep Deprivation and Gender-Specific Risk of Depression in Adolescents: A Prospective Population-Based Study.” BMC Public Health, vol. 18, no. 1, 2018, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5656-6.

Domingues-Montanari, Sophie. “Clinical and Psychological Effects of Excessive Screen Time on Children.” Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, vol. 53, no. 4, 2017, pp. 333–338., https://doi.org/10.1111/jpc.13462.

Greenglass, Esther R., et al. “Reactions to Increased Workload: Effects on Professional Efficacy of Nurses.” Applied Psychology, vol. 52, no. 4, 2003, pp. 580–597., https://doi.org/10.1111/1464-0597.00152.

Hartley, Sarah, et al. “Do Both Timing and Duration of Screen Use Affect Sleep Patterns in Adolescents?” PLOS ONE, vol. 17, no. 10, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0276226.

Miller, Nita Lewis, et al. Timing of the Major Sleep Period as a Fatigue Countermeasure in U.S ... https://faculty.nps.edu/nlmiller/docs/11.pdf.

Schierenbreck, Thomas, et al. “Effect of Illicit Recreational Drugs upon Sleep: Cocaine, Ecstasy and Marijuana.” Sleep Medicine Reviews, W.B. Saunders, 3 Mar. 2008, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1087079207001670.