Sleep plays a very important role in learning. When you sleep, your brain is still working, processing information you learned throughout the day and filtering information during REM and non-REM sleep. It helps you remember information when you need it. This is why when you pull an all-nighter to study for an exam and don’t get any sleep, your ability to learn new information can drop by up to 40%.
Your blood pressure and body temperature drops when you sleep. This is why many sleep experts recommend that you sleep in a cool room because it’s mimicking what your body is doing. Your intestines quiet down while you’re sleeping, your heart rate and breathing slows down and your liver starts detoxifying. You release growth hormones that help teens grow, but also help build your bodies stronger as you age. As you sleep your hunger hormones also get regulated and when you don’t get enough sleep, your hormones are off and you start gaining weight.
These are only a couple of reasons why you need sleep. Teens need their sleep to grow and to be able to absorb new information that keeps their mind growing as they age. It’s important for parents to insist that their teens sleep more and not sleep with their cellphones because not only is it dangerous for their health, but also the sounds from it keep them up late.
NEXT: The Talk: The Birds, The Bees and The Dangers of Technology
