sleep deprivation

(Freyer 1).
             The first category, sleepiness, is often attributed with brief mental lapses in which a student in school appears to be awake, but actually is mentally asleep. Sleepiness can actually progress to the next step, where the student may physically fall asleep. This, not only decreases a student's school performance, but can lead to motor vehicle accidents. It is estimated that more than 200,000 motor vehicle accidents that occur each year are caused by or are related to drowsy drivers at the wheel. Sleepiness also creates difficulties in getting up on time, which further manifests conflicts with a student's studies. (Freyer 2).
             The second category, tiredness, is a feeling of fatigue or decreased motivation. Tiredness makes tedious tasks more difficult to accomplish and even begin. The more sleep deprived a student, the less motivated he becomes. Tiredness is less evident while performing exciting energetic activities, but conversely it is extremely obvious in tasks deemed boring or repetitious. Tiredness is most problematic when attempting long-term goals, such as reading or studying uninteresting topics, when there is not an immediate consequence. In these cases motivation is not only decreased, but often does not exist. (Freyer 1) As a teacher it is no mystery to you the lack of interest that some students display during an activity. With a poor night's sleep, no matter how fascinating an activity may be, a student is likely not to respond. .
             The third category involves the impact the lack of sleep can have on the ability to control attention, mood, and behavior. Generally, teenagers are already moody and easily frustrate, add lack of sleep to this and the same teenager may seem overly excited, impulsive, or silly. They also may become angry, destructive, or abusive. Or they may be incredibly forgetful, passive and withdrawn, or overly emotional. Basically, reactions vary from teenager to teenager, but one constant is that the more sleep deprived a teenager becomes the more emotional the teenager will become.