When people get less than six to seven hours of sleep each night, they are in greater risk of getting diseases. Lack of sleep, makes strokes more likely to occur, due to them most likely happening in the early morning hours. People’s heart would be much more healthier if they were to get  seven to nine hours of sleep per night.

Not many people get eight hours of sleep, this includes children, adults, senior citizens, but mostly teenagers. Most teenagers get roughly six to seven hours of sleep; this is caused by school schedules, after school activities, and mostly electronics. Sleep is very important especially when finals, and projects are coming up. Teenagers lose sleep due to studying, finishing work from school earlier that day, or from sleep disorders.

Some effects from lack of sleep include:

• mentally drifting off in class
• lack of enthusiasm
• poor decision making
• depression
• decrease in academic performance
• etc.

To prevent sleep deprivation in teenagers, sleep experts suggest to sleep in on weekends, go to sleep early on Sunday nights or take naps after school. Students should also try to avoid early morning appointments, this includes early class sessions or training sessions.

Sleep reduces stress, inflammation, and also makes individuals more alert and energized. When your body is lacking sleep, it goes into a state of stress, which causes your blood pressure to increase. Sleep improves memory; when asleep, your brain is processing your day, and it makes connections between events, feelings, and emotions. When we are asleep, our brain is more creative than it is when we are awake, and dreaming helps us solve puzzling problems much better.

Top sleeping tips:

• Keep your bedroom dark (when exposed to lights your brain stays awake and alert)
• Set up a comfortable sleep environment
• Avoid sleeping late (Mostly on school nights)
• Go to sleep 10 minutes earlier than your bedtime
• Avoid electronics (ex. TV, phones, loud music, etc. )

Sleep is very important for your health, and is especially very important now that finals and the SATs are coming up. Don’t miss out on your sleep!