Sleep Deprivation

From the article, it is very much evident that many Singaporeans are failing to get their recommended hours of sleep. It is very startling to see a huge trend among secondary school students where only 2.6% get the rightful 9 hours of sleep while the majority of 80% get less than 8 hours of sleep a day. This is definitely a habit that is now starting of at such a young age.

Students at various levels of their education should be made aware on the effects of sleep deprivation. It triggers multiple effects due to lack of good quality sleep such as weight gain, memory problems, heart problems and many more.

The other point is that Singaporeans DO know about such negative effects due to the lack of sleep but taking action is another issue alogether. Singaporeans are always complaining on how there is so much do to in so little time. This is true, especially for fresh graduates who get employed shortly after. The chase to get the promotion/bonus, etc are some of the key factors that keep them going and neglecting their proper rest that they need. The best way to avoid future possible negative effects from the lack of sleep is to prioritize your events and meetings and to manage your time well by classifying events and assignments into (Urgent and Important; Urgent but Not Important; Not Urgent but Important and finally Not Important and Not Urgent).
I do hope that parents do step in and monitor and keep track on their childrens' sleeping habits as this might affect their cognitive skills and memory skills in the long run. Schools are able to bolster the idea of having enough rest to perform better in studies and sports.

sleep dprivation

Sleeping is very important as it helps to relax our mind and body, to replenish our energy, so as to be alert for tomorrow. Sleep deprivation is impulsive. A large proportion of the problem is due to the high paced lifestyle causing the lack of time to get the sleep we need. The other reason people are so sleep deprived is due to sleep disorders. Most people are unaware, as are most physicians. Sleep was not taught during their medical training. Sleep deprivation is getting on with teenagers as nowadays are hooked on with video games, usally giving up their sleeps to play video games. Besides, hectic school work gives students stress and often neglect sleeps to study. There are many consequences leading from sleeping deprivation.

Short term ocnsequences are as such; stress and anxiety, anger, irritability, depression, lack of focus, short term memory loss, difficulty in concentrating etc.

Long term concequences are as such; blood pressure, heart attack, heart failure, diabetes, obesity etc.

Sleep Deprivation

There are a host of reasons pertaining to this ailment.

Firstly, stress-emitted from the rigours of daily life. The regions which give the most stress, i believe, are academics and careers.

In a fast-paced, small country which has to strive harder than other nations to survive, Singapore's students are pushed to perform well in academics in order to ensure a bright future. Wishing to live up to their parents' expectations, pushed on by their competitive enviroment, these students thus willingly study into the wee hours of the next day despite an early class schedule that very day. Even when these students slip into bed, fears about upcoming tests, examinations or difficult syllabuses accost them. The mental pressure exerted by these give one little reason to relax; to sleep, to give one's body it's much needed rest. This would in turn result in a meager amount of sleep.
After the academic cycle comes a new cycle of stress-this time, about careers. In an increasingly costly world, a job is essential in providing for oneself-not to mention one's family. In Asian context, especially in Singapore, i believe one would be under more pressure to excel at one's job-if one has it, at all. Competition in the job market is fierce; the cost of living is high, providing for one's parents is essential and in Singapore, everyone seems to be in pursuit of the Five Cs-Cash, Car, Condo, Club(membership) and another equally 'important' factor. Apparently in this society,it would seem demaning not to have these. Having to be financially able to provide for all these would certainly be cause for much worry and stress.

Secondly, Medical Conditions could be another factor. Physical conditions, like asthma, could disrupt sleep. Mental health conditions-which include depression and post-traumatic stress disorder-could result in insommia or nightmares.

Even gender and age can determine one's hours of sleep. This is the third most likely reason pertaining to sleep deprivation. According to studies done, women are more prone to sleep disorders due to pregnacy, hormonal fluctuations and menopause. Also, the elderly are lighter sleepers than the young. This could be attributed to chronic health conditions, such as gastroesophageal reflux disease, diabetes and hypertension.

Although seemingly harmless, one should not dismiss this lack of sleep. Insufficient rest could cause a body to simply break down, or collapse-there have been cases of online gamers perishing on the spot after days of gaming marathons. Of course, there are a litany of illnesses owing to sleep deprivation- amongst them,increased blood pressure,increased risk of diabetes and fibromyalgia, headaches and even memory lapses. These are major health issues which should be seriously considered.

It is thus my opinion that parents should ease up to give their children more 'breathing space'-this would naturally encourage better sleep for their offspring. Working adults should reserve a little time each day to relax, perhaps an hour or so. They could even walk home from work, if possible-walking has been clinically proven to relieve stress.

Medical experts advise those who experience sleep deprivation or sleep problems to seek medical attention to determine if sleep disorder or insomnia causes are signs of a more serious problem. Generally, treating underlying sleep disorder causes improves sleep and overall quality of life. Yoga could also be a stress-combating measure.

Hormonal fluctuations and menopause can be easily treated with pills or medications prescribed by certified doctors, as so can the various illnesses experienced in the descent to old age.

In conclusion, i would like to reitariate that ignoring sleep deprivation is not a wise move. The effects would not be immediately visible but over time, the damages wrought could be considerable.

Sleep deprivation

Sleep deprivation seems to be a serious problem for alot of students nowadays. Students are suffering from this due multiple reasons.


Firstly, it maybe due to heavy workload from schoolwork, projects. Students are unable to finished their assigned task in school, thus, they have to finish it up even if it means doing it during wee hours. To make sure that they complete their assigned task, they are willing to sacrifice their sleep, just to finsh up their work.


Secondly, it maybe personal reasons. Some of the people out there would spend their time at night, to watch their videos or dramas as they do not have the time to watch it during the day. They want to watch the latest videos, thus, they will spend their night by just sitting infront of their computer to watch. This happens to alot of the people out there be it students or adults.


Lastly, it may be due to sleeping disorders, for instance, insomia etc. Those who are suffering from insomnia may feel that it is especially hard to sleep at night.


Sleep deprivation will lead to severe health problems like depression, memory problems, diabates, reduced efficiency, increase heart problems.


So in order to curb this serious problem, one should know how to manage their time efficiently.They should manage their time in a way such that work can be completed at the assigned timing and also in a way that they have enough sleep. Though it may be inevitable that people may have to give up their sleep for work, nevertheless, they should also keep in mind that health is definetely more important than work. They should prioritise health before work because, without a good health, they would not be able to proceed or produce good work.
So a message that goes out to all: Stay healthy ! Sleep more!

Sleep deprivation can ruin your health

Teenagers nowadays are getting lesser and lesser sleep. These are mainly because of some reasons. In Polytechnic, students often face with lots of project work that need longer time to be done but need to pass up soon. Projects also causes stress to students, causing them to get not enough rest for the next day.

Another reason why teenagers are getting lesser and lesser sleep is because of the internet. Internet has become an important factor in teenager's daily life. For example Facebook, teenagers stay up til late night to use Facebook, to view other people profile or chat to their friends on Facebook thus they ended up sleeping late and waking early. Gaming is another factor. Computer games are addictive, and once teens get hook up with computer games, they would not want their hands to leave their keyboard. Popular addictive games such as DOTA or Maplestory are perfect example.

Teenagers should be educated the danger of not getting enough sleep. Sickness such as depression is what we will get if we did not get enough sleep. Teens should set sleeping as their priority, as for teens we need around 9 hours of sleep in order to be energetic. Gaming and Facebook-ing can be set aside to the next day, it's no harm exchanging the time you played computer games with sleeping, and in fact it benefits you. Sleep early and get more rest, will result in you getting more energetic for the next day, and you will be energized to play your game. Parents should educate them and let them know the benefits of sleeping early.

Youths addicted to Gaming

With the advent of technology, there has certainly been an increasing trend in video-game addiction.

Besides this fact, i believe it is the rigours of academic life that drives our youths to these virtual reality programmes. Failing to achieve academic goals, many may turn to video games in order to gain a relatively 'easier' thrill-by achiveing quests and missions-than striving vainlessly to attain optimum grades. In addition, these games provide one with an artifical level of confidence-which is to say, pride that one obtains from excelling in virtual reality, rather than things one has achived in real life. This sense of 'achievement' and the adrenaline rush is what hot-blooded youths yearn for, and it is thus that they turn to this.

However, gaming has it's dangers. There have been incidents of youths perishing after prolonged gaming periods, which could be as long as an entire day,as according to an article in the Straits Times in 2006. A man had perished due to weak blood circulation in his body, after having gamed for an entire day.

There are,however,steps that parents or others can take to prevent this from happening. One could advise these youths to set realistic goals for themselves academically. Others could study with this affected youth in order to encourage him to study. Parents would either have to enforce strict disciplinary rule or have a heart-to-heart talk with their children. Their intervention would play a crucial role in getting the misguided youth to understand the perils of persistant gaming. Parents should also be advised to cut their children some slack academically, if the root cause of the problem is so.

It would be a good idea to get the teen involved or interested in other more erstwhile activities, such as reading, dancing, or even gardening. This would be a exponential distraction, and could possibly wean one off their video game addiction.

We should not give up on these misguided youths as 'lost causes'. Instead, we should provide the encouragement and support they need in order to live their own lives to the fullest, in the most productive and fufilling way possible.

Youth stuck on video games

27 hours a week is an average of 3.8 hours per day. This is a growing habit of many young singaporeans which needs to be regulated and possibly, changed. These long hours of playing results in the neglect of study and other things which might be more important and urgent. I realize that many 'gamers' are primary and secondary school students. Such habits, if not controlled, will be brought forward into later years resulting in dire consequences eventually such as health risks and possibly, death. This issue is even more worrying when a comparative study is done against youth in the United States who only spend 13 hours per week. I do realize that the contributing factors such as youth having social problems or poor students pick up gaming to avoid the realities of life. This issue might be slow but it is growing steadily. I do hope the government and schools will take a step forward to control the situation by addressing the root of the problem and also managing time and with proper guidance from both parents and teachers and even peers.