Sleep deprivation is increasingly becoming an issue of global concern. Despite being aware of its seriousness, one is bound to be shocked when encountering zombie-like high schoolers at ISB and asking them how much sleep they have received. Their replies will vary between smirks, partnered with snarky comments such as “what’s sleep.”

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the rising number of sleep-deprived teens has called for lack of sleep to be labelled “one of the most common, important and potentially remediable health risks in children.” Kids at ISB continue to stay up until odd hours in an attempt to finish schoolwork, but this label gives us hope that there is a cure out there.

PantherNation sat down with Mr. Graeme Scott, Deputy Head of School, and discussed this issue. According to Mr. Scott, out of 262 ISB High School students who took his survey, 40% claimed that they receive nine or more hours of sleep on weekends. This rate takes an extremely alarming turn on the weekdays, with 31% of these very students sleeping between five to six hours and only a mere eight of the 262 students receiving over eight hours.

During the assembly on sleep, Mr. Scott announced that on average, “adolescent students need nine to nine and a half hours of sleep,” and everyone laughed.

It is very difficult to identify one root cause for sleep deprivation, because there might be more than one. For high school students, this issue arises popularly due to homework and procrastination. 46% of the students who took the survey said that they do not get sleep because of homework, but this is likely to open up “another debate.” Mr. Scott agreed that “we need to have another discussion about homework and I’d love to talk about that, but if we go straight to that, it’ll take the attention off sleep.”

There are obviously other factors that affect individuals, but both homework and procrastination play a huge role in determining the quality and amount of sleep. Teens are who are fully committed to school and other extracurricular activities are likely to find it difficult to fit a healthy amount of sleep into their schedule.

Although teachers try to balance the homework they assign, it is still very difficult to catch a good night’s sleep when students have multiple major summative assignments the next day. Multiple seniors remarked that procrastination is the one of main reasons they receive less than the required amount of sleep. More often than not, students get home after a long day of sports, service clubs or other activities and spend hours on end scrolling through BuzzFeed or snickering at funny Instagram posts. No matter when they get home, starting homework early is currently the easiest way for students to prevent being up past 1 am.

A few nights of missed sleep may not seem like a problem, but this can build up to affect a person’s mind and body. Lack of sleep can affect one’s ability to concentrate and reason, as well as their level of alertness. Sleep deprivation has also been linked to mood issues and is known to impair one’s problem-solving skills. It can also lead to serious health issues, including an increased risk of heart disease, heart failure and even diabetes.

Mr. Scott compared sleep to our digestive systems where the “digestion process produces waste and we get rid of the waste. It’s the same with thinking and learning; it produces waste products and we get rid of it during sleep. So, if you’re not sleeping, the toxicity level in your brain is increasing all the time.” But all hope is not lost as “we’re sort of ahead of the game at this, because a lot of schools aren’t taking this very seriously, but we really need to.”

“Really, I think I have three main points. One being more sleep, another is understanding the importance of sleep and how to get more of it, and finally, sleepy hygiene which includes things like using the computer and then expecting to fall asleep right after or even after caffeine intake.”

The ISB administration is discussing starting school at a later time. Mr. Scott informed PantherNation that school buses are being sent out on “test-drives” in the mornings and afternoons, to observe traffic patterns and to see how a later start time will affect those travelling to and from downtown Bangkok.

Research by the National Sleep Foundation found that delaying school by even an hour, if not more, can increase the amount of sleep teenagers receive, improving their performance in school.

Procrastination, on the other hand, is a choice of the students and a change in school schedule may or may not change whether students choose to procrastinate or not. Students may need to learn how to avoid distractions on their laptops, phones or televisions. This is unlikely to end all problems, but it is a start.

In the end, there are many factors that affect sleep patterns in our daily lives. What we really need to do is work towards understanding these patterns and the importance of sleep in order to prioritize our health over other factors from time to time.

Arya Bhai