Sleep is pivotal for all living animals and humans. When humans sleep the brain will replenish a variety of chemicals to help people function. Sleep is extremely important for the growing mind, especially for adolescents. Most teens unfortunately will not get the recommended eight to ten hours due to schoolwork, social life, and work. This paper will explore sleep and insomnia, the difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, and the devastating effects on body and mind in adolescents today.
First off, let’s look at what exactly sleep does for the body. During sleep, muscles are repaired, memory is consolidated, and an array of hormones is released to help regulate growth and one’s appetite. One of these hormones is melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone that originates from the pineal gland, and it regulates how much sleep we get. The pineal gland will start to increase melatonin levels as the night goes on, but bright lights such as the blue light from a phone may trick it into thinking it is day time. This can cause melatonin deficiency, which can lead to a lack of sleep. Symptoms of melatonin deficiency are tiredness and withdrawal. A similar hormone to melatonin is melanin-concentrating hormone, which comes from the pituitary. MCH is in the areas that controls sleep and wakefulness (Torterolo). It is also very active during sleep and REM, rapid eye movement. Having too much MCH can also cause a person to become obese. Norepinephrine, a transmitters normally associated with ones fight or flight response, plays a role in waking a person up. Elevated levels of norepinephrine means the person is going to wake up more and higher levels have been linked to mood disorders and high blood pressure. Another major neurotransmitters are dopamine, the transmitter that controls happiness. It is an excitatory transmitter and the more one has of it, the less likely they are to sleep. Though it has been proven that lower dopamine levels have been linked to insomnia. Serotonin also is a large part of sleep and much like dopamine, too much or too little, can affect a person’s sleep patterns along with their emotions, memory, and appetite. The main neurotransmitter that contributes to sleep is GABA, gamma-amino butyric acid. It decreases brain activity, helping one sleep. Other hormones that effect sleep are the thyroid hormone in which thyroid activity increases greatly. While teens sleep, they excrete human growth hormone, or HGH, a pivotal hormone for young children all the way to adulthood. These hormones are crucial to any human body, but when the body is still in development, the effects can be magnified. With a decrease in HGH, the body will not be able to grow to it’s full potential. This decrease, in more extreme cases, can cause growth hormone deficiency. The person is usually short in stature, has an immature face, and is chubby (HG Found). Of course, this is in the more extreme cases and happens early in adolescents. There is no effect on the intelligence level of the person. High levels of GABA can also cause anxiety in a person. It is not uncommon for teens to experience anxiety due to pressure to do well. Test anxiety is extremely common and in some cases is positive. Though to not sleep because of anxiety is bad, causing the person to be sluggish the next day. Low levels of serotonin can also cause anxiety as well. If the case of insomnia stems from lack of serotonin, the person may also develop depression. Depression is long-term sadness and varies from person to person. One will lose all interest in things that they use to enjoy. The teen may isolate them selves, which will have a major impact on their social life. Humans are naturally social creature and it is necessary for a teen to be surrounded by good influences and people for them to grow up positively. In the most extreme cases, the subject may take up negative vices such as alcohol, smoking, and/or self-harm. The subject may even be pushed to kill himself or herself. High levels of serotonin can cause serotonin syndrome, though normally high levels are attributed to new medication. Actually medication from depression medicine can cause you serotonin levels to rise too much. Lack of muscle coordination is a symptom along with agitation. Lack of muscle coordination can cause accidents from dropping an item to having trouble with driving. High dopamine levels are also associated with agitation. Agitation causes restlessness and inability to sit for a long time. This can cause the teen to have troubles with schoolwork and concentrating. Agitation is usually not a long-term issue though it can pop up from time to time with other more permanent issues. High levels of dopamine can make the teen have a higher libido as well. This would not be as much of an issue as it is if they were adults and not still in their teens years. Teen sex in a social point of view is frowned upon considering the severe consequences. It can lead to teen pregnancy, life changing STD’s, and the negative reputation that teen may develop. Granted the negative reputation is not as life altering as the other consequences, but to most teens, a positive reputation is everything. Bipolar disorder is also an issue with high dopamine levels. Being bipolar can cause extreme mood swings in a person and people may not want to be near the person if they’re known for wild mood swings. This can affect the teen’s social life and home life. Other students may not want to be around them and if it isn’t diagnosed, the parent’s may think that they’re acting out. The parents may even try to punish the teen for their mood swings, which will only worsen the situation. Mood swings can also be because of low dopamine levels. Low dopamine levels can cause ADHD and forgetfulness. Not being able to concentrate especially during class will cause low performance level with grades and it may be viewed as being disrespectful towards the teacher. Forgetfulness and ADHD tend to go hand in hand because the teen will be easily distracted by something else and will forget what they were doing or going to do. This can effects a students grades if they forget to study or it can have more dire consequences if they accidently forget to turn off the stove while cooking. Another attributing neurotransmitter to insomnia is high levels of norepinephrine and high levels can cause high blood pressure. High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is when the heart is working harder than necessary. Having high blood pressure can cause things like heart failure, kidney failure, and even loss of vision. To combat high blood pressure, the teenager would have to make changes to their daily lives. They may have to change their diet from salty and unhealthy items to a more healthy diet where they can lose weight. They will also have to start exercising more, but at the same time watch how they are exercising. Things like heavy weight lifting will most likely be out of the question. Finally, the most arduous task of all to lower blood pressure is to try and lower stress level. At any age it would be hard to lower stress level, but for a teenage it’s even harder because they have to juggle so many things at once and then to lower stress level they would have to make even more time in their busy schedule to just try and relax. MCH, as stated before, can cause obesity in a person if there is too much of it. Sleeping helps reduced the amount of MCH produced and lack of sleep can help with an overproduction of it. MCH is a neurotransmitter that turns on feeding and the urge to eat (Summerfield 130). Obesity can cause a barrage of health problems in itself, specifically to the heart. Health problems can include joint pains, trouble breathing, and hormonal changes. Being obese can also cause emotional problems because of low self-esteem and their low popularity with their peers. Melatonin as stated before, helps us regulate how much sleep we get. Not enough melatonin, and the person will not be able to sleep and other issues, like cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Cancer at such an age can negatively impact a teen’s psyche greatly. It can create a barrier between the patient and everyone else because everyone else can’t know what the patient is going through. Emotional isolation, though unintentional, can sometimes stunt a teen’s emotional growth and their ability to connect with those around them. More issues stemming from melatonin deficiency is social withdrawal and irritability. Social withdrawal is not the best option for us naturally social creatures especially for teen when they need their peers the most during this confusing time. Irritability will most likely not be helping them in the popularity department. An over active thyroid, known as hyperthyroidism, can cause a lack of sleep. It can also cause nervousness, shakiness, an increase in blood sugar, and more. High blood sugar, or hyperglycemia, can cause diabetes and is also another reason for lack of sleep. Sleep loss is a sign that one may have diabetes. Having diabetes means that the person has another responsibility to take care of. They have to keep track of their sugar levels, take insulin daily, and watch what they eat. For teens, having so many other things to do, it is easy for them to push it to the back of their mind and sometimes they just stop caring. Not taking their insulin or not watching their sugar levels can cause them to feel sick and sometimes they can even fall into a coma, something that is negative for all ages. A long time problem of not taking care of their diabetes is issues with eyes, kidneys, and the heart. Another major reason for insomnia is cortisol, otherwise known as the stress hormone. It is a well-known fact that most teens are stressed because of a variety of things in their life such as school and a social life. Cortisol production increases when stress is introduced and high levels of cortisol does not help the body sleep. Cortisol is also in charge of more than just stress. Elevated cortisol can cause digestive problems, mood changes, hormones being unbalanced, and a low immune system. It can also cause an increase in acne and other skin problems, something no teen wants. As an adolescent, image is extremely important to most considering most adolescents can be judgmental of another just based off of their appearance. Not to mention getting rid of the acne, whether by hiding it with makeup or through various acne treatments, can be and is expensive. That money could be going to other things that can raise the teen’s happiness. It can also cause the teen to have behavioral issues if the teen is in fight or flight mode all the time. Also cortisol can cause a lack of appetite. Everything living things needs to have sustenance to continue thriving and living properly. Teens not eating will result in low energy and can cause the body to start to break down. The teen can also have trouble concentrating if their mind is on food and eating rather than on whatever they may be doing. The immune system also plays a role in sleeping and not sleeping enough can lower the immune system. A lowered immune system can leave the adolescent susceptible to a variety of illnesses, everything from the common cold to more serious things like pneumonia. Either way, getting sick can make the teenager have to take time off from school to heal, time they could be using to learn and further themselves. These are just the more physical consequences of sleep deprivation in teens.
As the body slowly loses sleep, the person will become more irritable and can lash towards other people. One reason for this is that the amygdala, the part that controls our emotion, becomes more active the less sleep one got. Sleep deprivation had also cause a disruption between the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala (Jakke Para 2). Already teens don’t naturally have a good connection between the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex, but adding in sleepless nights, and the connection worsens. The prefrontal cortex helps keep the amygdala, the emotions, in check, but without that connection, the teens emotions will be out of whack and can anger easily. This anger can also turn into violence. They may start to break things, hit things, hit people, and bully their peers. Not thinking with their prefrontal cortex can also cause them to make decisions they would not normally make. They would then be partaking in at risk behaviors like skipping school and doing drugs. Drugs can impair the memory of a teenager. Sleeping also helps them retain things they learn. The hippocampus becomes less active the less sleep one gets. The hippocampus helps consolidate things the adolescent learn during the day, especially school lessons. If the teen’s ability to memorize facts and such go down, the less likely they are to succeed in school. Sleep deprivation may also affect cognition in a negative way. The adolescent make be less attentive to the things around them. Not paying attention once in a while is not bad thing, but constantly not paying attention will eventually snowball into something bigger, something worse. Lack of attentiveness can become an issue if the teen is old enough to drive. Major car accidents can happen if the teen falls asleep at the wheel. Even if the teen is not old enough to drive, they probably will be bike riding or walking. That can then lead to accidents, whether it’s crashing into something while riding the bike, causing injury, or walking into things or not looking both ways and then getting hit by a car. The speed at which teenagers do things may also slow down because of fatigue. Slow reaction times can also cause issues. Not being able to react fast enough in let’s say gym, can get the teenager a one way ticket to the nurses office if they can’t catch the ball. Slow cognition can also affect the eyesight and spatial recognition. Thinking something is closer than it actually is can result in clumsiness when they try and reach for it. Spatial recognition, or rather lack there of can also hinder the adolescent if they play a sport. As said before, drugs and alcohol can also affect someone’s ability to sleep at night. These drugs and alcohol can also physically affect the brain, shutting down certain critical portions or making other portions work in over drive. That is just in normal adults. In teens, it can leave them permanently brain damaged or permanently underdeveloped in some areas.
As stated before, sleeping is extremely for human beings. It helps us replenish chemicals in our body, and helps us think clearer. Sleep also helps our immune system and makes us healthier. All of these things are especially important in teens when their body is still growing. Sleep helps with keeping the hormones in homeostatic balance and without it, it would hinder ones thought processes. Sleep is key for teens and whether or not they succeed during their teenager years, both in a physical sense and in an emotional sense.