The Cognitive, Emotional, and Physical Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Early Adolescents Alexandra C Byrne Pepperdine University BACKGROUND Sleep is the temporary state of suspension of sensory and voluntary motor activity; sleep is a necessary function universal to all mammalian species 5. In recent years, sleep duration has steadily declined throughout the human population. The average individual is getting two hours less than the sleep duration recommended by the National Sleep Foundation 9. Sleep plays a critical role in physical development, cognitive development, and regulating emotion health 4.  Cognitive  During sleep, a memory is replayed within the hippocampus to promote retention; poor sleep quality can inhibit the consolidation of these memories subsequently inhibiting effective learning 7.  Individuals suffering from sleep deprivation showed a decreased ability to perceive auditory stimuli after a period of sleep deprivation 5.  Quality of sleep may be one of the most significant indicators of academic performance in students 2.  Physical  Research has shown that decreased sleep may inhibit the body’s ability to regulate the endocrine system; decreased sleep can disrupt an individual’s levels of insulin, glucose and growth hormone 6.  Sleep derivation stimulates activity in an area of the prefrontal cortex that is associated with hunger and reaction to food 6.  Children, suffering from decreased sleep, may be more likely to have a higher body weight 6.  Emotional  After a period of induced sleep deprivation, individuals reported feeling higher levels of anxiety, anger, and helplessness .  Adolescents experiencing emotional problems are often more likely to engage risky behaviors or addictive behaviors . RESEARCH QUESTIONS RESULTS The results indicate a positive relationship between participants’ ( N=9) hours of sleep and participants’ composite score of social/emotional health, r ( 8) =.922, p =.001). There was no relationship found between technology use and hours of sleep, r (8) = , p =.567. EXPERIMENT 1: SURVEY References Participants Nine participants ( M age= years ) were included in this study. All participants were middle school students at Patrick Henry Middle School in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Materials The experimenter developed a short survey to gather information to evaluate the following:  Sleep Quality  Average Sleep Duration  Emotional Health  Physical Health  Average Weekly Use of Technology Procedure: This survey was administered to participants on an IPad; participants were prompted to answer a series of questions. All data was separate from participants’ identity to keep participants anonymous. o What are the cognitive implications of poor sleep quality on developing humans? o What are the physical implications of poor sleep quality on developing humans? o What are the emotional implications of poor sleep quality on developing humans? o What environmental factors, such as technology use, contribute to the sleep deprivation? OPTIONAL LOGO HERE The results indicate a positive relationship between participants’ ( N=9) hours of sleep and participants’ composite score of physical health, r (8) =.6757, p =.0457). EMOTIONAL PHYSICAL COGNITIVE There was a significant positive correlation found between participants’ ( N =14 ) BPI score on an information processing task and hours of sleep, r (12) =.6666, p =.009). The results indicated a positive relationship between a participants’ ( N =14 ) BPI score on a spatial memory cognition task and hours of sleep, ( r (12) =.6314, p =.0154). Information-Processing Memory ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS: TECHNOLOGY The difference between technology usage scores of students with high quality sleep ( M = 15) and the students with low quality ( M = 19.6) was not significant, t (8) = , p = METHODS EXPERIMENT 2: COGNITIVE TASK Participants Fourteen participants ( M age= years ) were included in this study. All participants were middle school students at Patrick Henry Middle School in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Materials Participants engaged in a series of cognitive tasks using the Lumosity App on an IPad. Participants’ cognition scores, on the cognitive tasks, were measured using the “Brain Performance Index Score (BPI).” The researcher obtained participants’ BPI index scores on an information-processing task and a memory task. Information-Processing Task: Memory Task: Conclusion This study has demonstrated that poor sleep is a substantial contributor to decreased overall health in adolescents. Poor sleep quality appears to have a negative impact on students’ cognitive processing, emotional health and physical health. Educators are instructing many students that are functioning on minimal amounts of sleep. Therefore, it is of critical importance that the educational world heighten awareness of implications of sleep deprivation on student’s cognitive/emotional/physical health, address the factors that contribute to sleep quality, and have a basic understanding of general sleep guidelines.  Educators are working with children who are beginning to solidify their sleep behaviors; many of the students have little to no understanding of the importance of sleep. Furthermore, many students struggling with academics may not be aware of the grave implications poor sleep habits have on their academic performance 2.  By increasing the populations’ awareness of fundamental aspects of sleep, optimal sleep hygiene behaviors can be developed in youth and alleviate current sleep problems.  Research has shown that participants, exposed to a sleep education program, showed significantly better overall sleep behavior when compared to participants not exposed to a sleep education treatment. Regions in the Brain Affected By Poor Sleep Controls reaction to food Memory consolidation and memory recall Language Recognition Prefrontal and Medial Prefrontal Cortex Auditory Cortex Sound Perception Hippocampus Memory Replay Research suggests that stimulation of artificial light at night, from electronics and urban lighting, has caused adolescents to stay up to hours of the night  Human physiology has been specifically designed to respond to light; the human eye, as well as sections of the brain, is extremely sensitive to even low amounts of light. even low amounts of light.  Vollmer, Michel and Randler (2011) found that individuals living in residential areas, exposed to high levels of artificial light at night, were more likely to stay up later when compared to individuals in rural areas. ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS  Baum, K., Desai, A., Field, J., Miller, L. E., Rausch, J., & Beebe, D.W. (2014). Sleep restriction worsens mood and emotion regulation in adolescents. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 55 (2), doi: /jcpp Brown, F. C., Buboltz, W. R., & Soper, B. (2006). Development and evaluation of the sleep treatment and education program for students (STEPS). Journal Of American College Health, 54 (4), Retrieved from 3 Frye, M. (2006, May 1). Neuropsychopharmacology. Nature.com. Retrieved July 7, 2014, from 4 Gruber, R. (2013). Making room for sleep: The relevance of sleep to psychology and the rationale for development of preventative sleep education programs for children and adolescents in the community. Canadian Psychology/Psychologie Canadienne, 54 (1), doi: /a Retrieved from 5 Noronha Liberalesso, P., Klagenberg D’Andrea, K., Cordeiro, M. L., Zeigelboim, B., Marques, J., & Jurkiewicz, A. (2012). Effects of sleep deprivation on central auditory processing. BMC Neuroscience, 13. Retrieved from 6 Pileggi, C., Lotito, F., & Pavia, M. (2013). Relationship between chronic short sleep duration and childhood body mass index: A school-based cross- sectional study. PLoS One, 8 (6) 7 Ravid, S., Afek, I., Suraiya, S., Shahar, E., & Pillar, G. (2009). Sleep disturbances are associated with reduced school achievements in first-grade pupils. Developmental Neuropsychology, 34 (5), doi: / Retrieved from 8 Vollmer, C., Michel, U., & Randler, C. (2012). Outdoor light at night (LAN) is correlated with eveningness in adolescents. PubMed, 29 (4), doi: doi: / Retrieved from 9 Wells, M., & Vaughn, B. V. (2012). Poor sleep challenging the health of a nation. The Neurodiagnostic Journal, 52 (3), Retrieved from 10 Whiteman, H. (2013, October 29). Childhood poverty 'affects brain development'.. Retrieved from