“Who said nights were for sleep?” — Marilyn Monroe, American actress. Do you ever stay up until late at night knowing you have something to do the next day and need energy for it? People have work or school, something to go to the next morning. Lots of people stay up late even if it has consequences to their mind or body, but what should we be doing to help with our sleep? How can you help yourself when your body won’t let you sleep? According to health.clevelandclinic.org

Signs of sleep deprivation:

• Car accidents
• Constant yawning
• Daytime fatigue
• Lack of alertness
• Lack of energy
• Reduced attention span

Some sleep disorders stated in www.sleepfoundation.org  are insomnia, Sleep Apnea, Narcolepsy, Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) Parasomnias, REM Sleep Behavior Disorder, Non-24-Hour Sleep Wake Disorder, Excessive Sleepiness. All of which keeps you from getting enough sleep.

In an interview with Gaberiel Marquez, my Mom, Kimbery Valle, Mariah Flewallen their sleep life was illustrated before me. Each person differs from how much sleep they get, but combined they get five to eight hours of sleep, both on weekdays and weekends. Along with that, the majority of people were on their phone before going to bed. After interviewing, each person considered early and late sleep differently than others. All in all their moods were different the next day after waking up not getting enough sleep except one person who was talked to.

What happens when you don’t get enough sleep? As stated in www.healthline.com in the section ‘Central Nervous System’. The nervous system in your body processes lots of information, making reactions in your body happen. For example, if you were to burn yourself playing with fire, you would yank your hand back. Your nerve system sends pain signals to your brain telling it you had hurt yourself. The nerve cell in your brain while you sleep helps you remember things, such as things you had learned that day or what had happened. When you don’t sleep, those nerve cells inside your brain won’t work well, leaving you not being able to remember information that happened that day ( at least not everything). Other functions that usually work well after a good night’s sleep in your brain may not function well either due to your brain exhaustion. Your body might be a bit slower than usual, which increases the likelihood accidents could happen to you. In addition, it will have a negative effect on your emotions and mentality, including giving you:

• Paranoia
• Depression
• Bipolar disorder
• Suicidal thoughts
• Anxiety

These effects give you more mood swings and make your decision-making more foolhardy. In an interview, Greenwood High School student Gabriel Marquez_vocalized that,“stress, school, and anxiety,” made her sleep deprived during the night and day. 

Furthermore, your lack of sleep prevents your immune system from building up. Sleeping affects your leptin and ghrelin hormones, which tells you when you’re hungry and when you are full (Cherney and Watson, 2020). If both of these are not functucting it can cause you to become overweight and obese. Lastly, hormone production is also dependent on sleep. Yet how can you make sure this doesn’t happen to your body?

One thing to do to help your body get a sufficient amount of sleep is to abstain from using your phone before bed. A sophomore named Mariah mentioned, “I go on my phone,” when asked what she does before bed, and yet, she was not the only one. There were multiple people that said they use their phone before bed, if not all. You can also try to refrain from energy drinks or surgery drinks that can keep your body running for a long while. Third, stick to a bedtime schedule that makes sure you are going to sleep at the right time. A young lady named Kim Valle had stated, ”I try to keep on schedule,” and,“It’s neither late nor early, it’s more like middle of eleven.” Another way is doing something relaxing and calming before bed so your mind isn’t running. Apart from those, maybe try to be more active, a little exercise is good, you don’t have to do a full workout, it could be stretching or yoga. Attempt to read, take supplements, light a candle or wax melts. Personally had given my mom the same interview and she had commented that “read” right before bed and that she “doesn’t think so, my body is used to that” when asked if she had trouble sleeping which she replied no that she didn’t. Not only that, but aromatherapy has shown to help with sleep and relaxation. Some scents that have worked well are lavender and peppermint.

How much sleep you should get

You might be wondering how much sleep am I supposed to get? Does it differ from age to age? The answer to that is yes. Certain different ages have differing hours of sleep needed. On www.sleepfoundation.org  they list how much each age should get. For adolescence ages 14-17, they should get a minimum of eight to ten hours of sleep. Young adults and adults 18 to 64 should get seven to nine hours of sleep, while older adults 65 and older require seven to eight hours. The pattern is every group of ages needs less sleep or about the same as the last.

After reading this article, how will you sleep from now on?  WiIl you be able to change the way you sleep in a positive way for your schedule? Like the author Elie Wiesel, of Night said -“Don’t fight with the pillow, but lay down your head, and kick every worriment out of the bed.”