Sleep Deprivation: a Testy Problem

Skyler Reisig

In elementary school, there was a pep rally to start off CATs testing. One of the steps to maximize test scores was getting a good night’s rest. This may seem like a basic. But far from it, many students don’t get the full 8 hours that doctors recommend. Proof of that is a survey from Drexel University in which only 20% of the studied kids got the recommended 8 hours. Another study in Rhode Island showed that 85% of teenagers are chronically sleep-deprived and accumulated a minimum 10-hour sleep deficit during the week. Researchers found that kids ages 13-19 only get 7.20 hours of sleep on average. Few even get the recommended sleep on a regular basis, let alone on the night before the big test. Sleep deprivation has many varied effects. They impair our attention span, our moods (being grumpy when sleepy), our creativity, and our problem solving skills. This is only a few out of many. Some people put homework, extracurricular activities, anything over sleep, when in reality, sleep is a big part of how we function. People should strive to get the recommended 8.5-9 hours of sleep on a regular basis, but if that’s impossible at least get the rest before tests.