There are very strong writers throughout Good Counsel – some who may be apprehensive to share their written work on a larger platform even when it is a great piece of writing. However, The Talon hopes to change that with a new project- “Falcon Speaks.”
The “Falcon Speaks” project aims to provide Falcons an opportunity to put their written work on a larger platform, or even to share their opinion on a topic that may be of interest to them.
Today’s article comes from Adrian Font ‘26, who is one of our newest Staff Writers on the Talon. In this feature, Adrian talks about the importance of sleep and how a good night’s sleep can affect your whole day for the better!
Sleep deprivation is a trend that has been made much more evident in the past decade. Although it is the root of many problems among teens, there is a sleep deprivation epidemic where less sleep has become normalized in our Adrian Font ‘26 is a sophomore staff writer for The Talon. He is on the tennis team, and in his free time, he likes to box, play tennis, and go to the gym. 
We should be scared that so many teenagers are losing such a fundamental human function that is equally important as eating or breathing. Sleep loss is typically normalized because working until inhumane hours in the night to go to college, get a job, or put food on the table is just part of living in this competitive society. This is where various types of stress also contribute to insufficient sleep and inability to sleep due to working. Ideally, teens should prioritize sleep and get at least 8 hours per night.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2018, most middle and high school students nationwide reported sleeping for fewer than eight hours on school nights. One of the more recent global events that drastically affected sleep in individuals in society is the [COVID-19] pandemic. It was known to be the root of a lot of issues in mental health in teens, and data released by the CDC showed that mental health has worsened in teens as a result. The pandemic didn’t just cause sleep loss, it generated terrible habits in teens that led to
worse lifestyles and bad sleep schedules. Online classes created less of an academic demand so that teens could stay up late, and because the pandemic lasted for a considerable amount of time, it altered these teens’ lives.
As evening approaches and the sun goes down, the pineal gland in the brain releases melatonin into the blood. Melatonin is a hormone that signals the body that it is time to sleep. Once released, the melatonin levels in the body remain elevated until morning. A teen who is being forced to wake up while melatonin levels are high can make the person feel dazed and confused, and this is the state that millions of teens go to school in every day. It is doubtful that teens want to continue living under these circumstances and would benefit from a solution that could balance enjoying their teen years and still getting enough sleep.
A large part of being a teenager is going to sleep late and being rebellious, so by asking teenagers to keep a rigorous sleep schedule, we are taking being a teenager away from them. Life is about balance; teenagers should not sacrifice their health for temporary good times. Sleep deprivation has countless adverse effects on a teenager’s physiology, behavior, and academics. Lack of sleep has been shown to increase the risk of premature mortality from various surveys by the CDC that concluded that individuals who slept for less than six hours each night had a tenfold more significant risk for that fate rather than those who obtained seven to nine hours of sleep. Sleep loss results in lethargic behavior in teens and impairs active cognitive processes such as planning, coping, and problem-solving.
As a high school student, my life is pretty demanding and requires me to be 100% to perform well daily. I struggle to handle myself throughout the day when I am sleep-deprived because, from personal experience, my mood becomes more irritable and unproductive. Sleep is a major toss-up. My mood and energy level are always determined by how well I slept the night before. I believe that many times, I am influenced by teen culture in this society to stay up late, which is why the sleep deprivation epidemic impacts so many. As someone who values sleep more than others, I still fall victim to this epidemic, and I find it important that we change the course of sleep culture in our society. Worried mothers and caretakers are victims of this epidemic, seeing their teens exhausted and zombified before and after school.
Many parents find themselves stressed because they struggle to make their teens change to better sleep habits, but that is difficult after years of bad sleep habits. This could change through practicing the importance of sleep from an early age through good parenting and implementing healthy sleep habits and habits that affect sleep. Ignorance is a significant cause of sleep loss because teenagers don’t see the magnitude of negative effects that sleep loss has on their lives other than just being tired the next day. More parents must enforce these healthy habits from a young age to keep them until adulthood. Plus, getting into your nice and warm bed at night after a long day is like receiving a hug from a loved one because your bed is your friend who will always be there for you. There is no denying that getting rest is an amazing feeling that elevates our happiness, and we should embrace it as individuals and as a society.
Sources
“Sleep deprivation leaves teens prone to depression, study says.” Globe & Mail [Toronto, Canada], 9 Feb. 2004, p. A7.
Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A159799267/OVIC?u=whea89578&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid=b5e0f978. Accessed 8 Dec. 2023.
“Teens are facing a sleep deprivation epidemic. Here’s why.” CNN Wire, 7 June 2022, https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/07/health/teen-sleep-deprivation-wellness/index.html.
“Sleep Deprivation in Adolescents.” Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2023. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/OESJAI523062702/OVIC?u=whea89578&sid=bookmark-OVIC&xid=63bb9ec7. Accessed 8 Dec. 2023.