Sleep deprivation is a crucial component of the rise of mental health issues among youth.

Question

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2022-07-22/mental-health-sleep-deprivation-teens

Only 20% of high schoolers are getting adequate sleep at night. Furthermore, there is evidence that this lack of sleep is linked to depression, anxiety, and even suicide rates. It also is related to lack of judgement and impulsive tendencies, and it is important to modify one's behavior to improve their sleeping habits.

Comments

I agree that many young individuals who are sleep deprived have more impact on their mental health which affects their performance in their academics, work setting, and overall lifestyle. Your body can't function well when your body isn't fully rested, which can cause mood swings and lack of concentration. If they are already struggling with certain disorders, then this makes it more stressful for them.

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Yes this makes sense for lack of sleep to be the cause of mental health issues rising for teens. Many teens stay up much later than they have to because of distractions, like phones, or other issues. But a main issue are the phones, this is causing teens to stay up and lose the crucial sleeping hours they need to be able to function properly and efficiently. I have noticed at times where i have not gotten enough sleep over a period of time, I am a lot more grumpier, lazy, unmotivated, look and feel worse, and just dont feel good in general. Once you realize how much rest actually effects your life, its much easier to put down those distractions so that you can benefit more. Especially as teens, its hard to accept that and be aware of it to make that difference, but it would definitely help with the rise of mental health.

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This is a valid and great post. It is true that teenagers who are sleep deprived have a decreasing mental-health due to not getting the rest their body and mind needs as growing individuals. If they were already having a hard time with different mental illnesses it can cause a more stress induced time for them because of not sleeping.

Answer 1

According to my research, this is a completely valid claim and headline stated by the Los Angeles Times. First off, the Los Angeles Times is known to be a reputable news agency that covers major events nationally. The article also provides useful insight in the way it compares sleep deprivation to mental health by stating that sleep deprivation leads to impulsivity and impaired judgment. 

I even found the same rhetoric used in another reliable source the NIH which states that  "Sleep-deficient children may feel angry and impulsive, have mood swings, feel sad or depressed, or lack motivation" (NIH)

Article: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleep-deprivation/health-effects#:~:text=Getting%20enough%20quality%20sleep%20at%20the%20right%20times,and%20sleep%20and%20your%20health%20in%20this%20topic.

Answer 2

This statement is true. Sleep deprivation is real and can impact your brain development. The Child Mind Institute wrote an article on this saying that "Less sleep correlated with higher levels of depression and in turn, those kids with more depression had problems falling or staying asleep. It’s a vicious cycle — lack of sleep affects mood, and depression can lead to lack of sleep.". The also interviewed and surveyed over 1600 kids and more than half of them with lack of sleep said that they feel stressed, depressed and anxious.

https://childmind.org/article/happens-teenagers-dont-get-enough-sleep/

Answer 3

This technically is a true claim, and the referenced article by Los Angeles Times is a decently reliable source. Most notably, the article titled “Op-Ed: sleep deprivation is an important part of our youth mental health crisis” by Los Angeles Times, references many credible sources towards the articles main claim including a research done by sleepfoundation.org on how later school times have a positive impact on sleep (also touching on the positive impact on mental health from more sleep and vice versa). The article also includes data from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) on the matter, referencing a study done, and statements from the director of the sleep center at Seattle Children's hospital. These of which are the strongest reliable sources, however the article references several more pieces of evidence for their claim (not their own individual study). It is important to mention however that even if study done by the CDC does technically provide evidence for the claim made, the focus of the study was more centered around poor mental health in relation to the pandemic.

“Mental Health, Suicidality, and Connectedness among High School Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic - Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey, United States, January–June 2021.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 31 Mar. 2022, www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/71/su/su7103a3.htm#:~:text=More%20than%20one%20in%20three,12%20months%20before%20the%20survey.

The author of the article is Lisa L. Lewis, who is a journalist and author that specializes in the topics of: sleep, mental health, wellness, and a variety of other related ideas. Most significantly, she wrote the book “The Sleep-Deprived Teen” and was an advocate for the law that was passed implementing limitations on school starting times in California. https://www.lisallewis.com/

Using this information about the author we can deduce that there appears to be a slight bias in the article towards the idea that mental health and sleep are correlated, however, it is factual information (as seen from reliable sources linked) that they are indeed correlated and that the claim the article makes is objectively true regardless, and is verifiable further by looking into the vast amount of articles provided from reliable sources. The claim that sleep deprivation is a crucial component of the rise of mental health issues among youth is technically true in that mental health and sleep deprivation do indeed have a correlation in which mental health among youth is badly impacted by poor sleep habits, however the exact measure of how crucial sleep deprivation in particular to mental health is difficult to discern.

Answer 4

This claim is reliable, as they used a reliable source and linked their claim to scientific resources. Upon my research, I came across the Child Mind Institute, this website spoke about the correlation between the amount of sleep and depression levels as well as other mental illnesses. "Less sleep correlated with higher levels of depression and in turn, those kids with more depression had problems falling or staying asleep. It’s a vicious cycle — lack of sleep affects mood, and depression can lead to lack of sleep." The article also spoke about the increased risk of injury due to the lack of sleep causing fatigue or drowsiness. The claim is true, however, there is more to be said about the consequences of lack of sleep than just mental illness.

https://childmind.org/article/happens-teenagers-dont-get-enough-sleep/#:~:text=Less%20sleep%20correlated%20with%20higher,And%20multiple%20studies%2C%20including%20Dr.

Answer 5

After further research, the claim is determined to be true. As a teenager who used to struggle with sleep, I believe that the sources and research were correct. Additionally, I found that a lack of sleep increases teenagers' use of stimulants, such as caffeine, and alcohol, and unprotected sex. Researchers also found teenagers who have issues getting enough hours of sleep to be moody and irritable.

Child Mind Institute

Columbia Psychiatry

Answer 6

Lack of sleep can be caused by a couple of factors. One being stress. Teenagers deal with a lot of stress as they transition into adulthood and learn a lot about being an adult. This stress can cause kids to not get enough sleep. Lack of sleep has to be cause by something else like stress or just life in general. So, to say that sleep deprivation is a crucial cause to mental health issues seems like a stretch. After researching as well, something else has to be at play when you don't get a lot of sleep. So, the real root of mental health issues is other factors, not specifically lack of sleep.