Sleep effects on adolescent memory and cognitive ability

Abstract

Sleep deprivation is currently one of the most prevalent problems in adolescents. High schoolers with 5-6 hours of sleep is almost normalized in high schools. Other than educating students about getting sleep, school systems have not done much to address the issue. Sleep deprivation has many drawbacks such as lower attention spans and focus levels, short-term cognitive impairment like slower daytime processing, and sometimes even long-term cognitive decline like Alzheimer’s, higher risks of depression and anxiety, and weaker memory power. Delaying start times is an applicable solution and has the capacity, depending on the delay time of increasing high schoolers’ sleep by an hour or more, positively affecting their memory capacity, concentration time, and overall performance. Nap times can also help adolescents manage sleep durations and improve cognitive abilities as well. Sleep duration, however, changes depending on different individual factors. Women are more susceptible to sleep deprivation-caused problems than men, African Americans are more susceptible than European Americans, and children and the elderly are more susceptible than adults. By understanding these differences and impacts, drawbacks of sleep deprivation can be combated by more practical solutions.