Paula Shin

Sasser
IR-2/11AP
6/12/18
Dr. Helene Emsellem

The Effects of Technology Use on Sleep Deprivation

“Let me just scroll through Instagram for a little while...then I’ll go to sleep,” “Just one

more episode…” These common phrases stated by teenagers may indicate that they are at risk to

a few dangers. According to a California State University study, over two-thirds of high

schoolers sleep with a cell phone or tablet in their beds, and this statistic rises to about four-fifths

in college students. Of all these students, over half used their devices for an hour before falling

asleep (Moulin and Chung 294). The root of compromised academic skills begins with an

insufficient quantity and quality of sleep. The usage of electronics plays a major role in the loss

of sleep in teens The staggering adolescent use of electronic computers and cell phones, in the

hours leading up to bedtime, has a detrimental impact on the quality of sleep, leading to impaired

daytime cognition, and an increased risk of obesity.

In the current age of rising technology use, adolescents are the ones becoming dependent

on electronic devices, relying on them during every moment of the day. Devices are used

periodically, especially at night, as a form of relaxation. People think that using technology is a

beneficial relaxation technique to wind down after a long day, but this causes more negative than

positive effects. Devices emit blue light that is harmful to one’s sleep cycle. This blue light is

sensed by the photopic receptors in the retina. Activation of the photopic receptors promotes

alertness via suppression of melatonin, a hormone that controls the internal circadian rhythm.

Activation of the photopic receptors sends a clear-cut alerting signal to the brain making it
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difficult to fall asleep and maintain proper sleep timing and a regular sleep schedule. Late

exposure to light promotes a late bedtime and a late wake-up time. Restorative sleep is dependent

on an adequate total sleep time and spending sufficient time in each stage of sleep in an orderly

sequence. REM sleep is a stage of sleep during which we process information, form new

memories, and lay down interconnections to promote learning and creativity and mood stability.

In normal sleep, REM cycles every 90-120 minutes. In order to maximize its usefulness, such as

restoring psyche and processing information, it must be reached several times, as the later ones

become longer, and optimally should occupy 22-23% of the night’s sleep (Emsellem and

Whiteley 53). Also, deep slow wave, N3 sleep which should occur in the first third of the night is

critical to the removal of the toxic metabolic byproducts of the day’s metabolism. In the setting

of insufficient total sleep time a lack of N3 sleep and failure of the brain’s equivalent of the

lymphatic system to remove toxins interferes with the restorative quality of sleep. It is the glial

cells in brain that manage this clean up through the “glymphatic” system. Research studies

selectively interfering with REM and N3 sleep leave individuals physically achy and mentally

foggy.

With the current rise in new technological devices, there are more consumers who are

becoming accustomed to them and using them periodically. Teenagers’ lives are dominated by

electronic devices because they play a huge role in everyday routines. These electronic devices

emit blue light (short frequency) that promotes alertness, interfering with teens’ ability to fall

asleep. This data is shown in the National Sleep Foundation’s survey, “Sleep in America Poll”,

which displays that 95% of those surveyed typically engage in an active use of technology within

an hour of bedtime. Similarly, in a survey conducted by the researcher, 96% of students regularly
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use some sort of electronic device an hour before going to bed. For those who use some sort of

electronic device in the hour before bedtime, they state that they “rarely” or “never” say that they

“had a good night’s sleep”. For one surveyor who did not use any sort of device before bed, a

“good night’s sleep” was guaranteed “almost every night”, supporting the conclusion that

electronic devices interfere with teens’ ability to fall asleep, so restricting the use of electronics

creates a healthy sleep schedule. In addition, for students who have slept more than 7 hours, and

use very few electronics at night, put that they have a good night’s sleep “almost every night”.

Looking at the trend of the results of the researcher’s study, as the students get older, they use a

wider variety of electronic devices, which is correlated to those who get as little sleep as 5-6

hours. In addition, for those students who have slept more than 7 hours, they put that they have a

good night’s sleep “almost every night”. Those students are also the ones who use the smallest

variety of electronics. Overall, a vast majority of students feel that they do not receive as much

sleep as possible, and these feelings are correlated with the use of electronic devices late at night.

Blue light is a noticeable color in the “visible light spectrum” that is emitted from the

screens of electronic devices (“Shine the Light on Blue Light” 1). It is made up of wave-like

electromagnetic particles that emit energy, and depend on the wavelength. Blue light has a short

wavelength, meaning that it is the highest-energy wavelength (“Shine the Light on Blue Light”

1). Due to this fact, blue light has one of the strongest effects on the human eye with visual

abilities. This is extremely harmful to adolescents who regularly use electronics because “...[blue

light] can induce damage to the eye when exposed to light within the range of 400 to 550 nm”

(West et al. 1). This range is typical for most electronic devices, meaning that all adolescents,

who use electronic devices are at risk to damages to the eye. The blue light triggers firing of a
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separate class of photopic receptors in the retina called melanopsin expressing intrinsically

photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs). The signal is transmitted via “the

retinohypothalamic tract to the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN)” (West et al. 1).

These parts control circadian rhythms. The retinohypothalamic tract “mediates the

synchronization of the sleep-wake cycle with the light-dark cycle” and the hypothalamic

suprachiasmatic nucleus “functions as a biological block” (“Retinohypothalamic Tract” 1). Light

exposure is connected with parts of the eye that influence circadian rhythms. Therefore, any

harmful exposure to light, such as looking at an electronic screen for a long time, directly

impacts the ability to optimize qualities of sleep. Adolescents are in dire need of this high quality

of sleep, so because they tend to use electronics the most, they are the ones most likely to be

impacted. In addition to these retinal parts, there are other components that are related to the

ability to absorb light.

In the human retina, there are nerve cells that respond to any external light. Known as

photoreceptor cells, they are neurons found in the human retina, absorb any type of external light

that is emitted, then convert it into electrical signals to create images in the brain. There are two

major types of photoreceptors, called rods and cones. When one turns off the light, his/her eyes

take a few seconds to adjust to the new change in light. This is similar to one who experiences a

brightly-lit area after spending some time in a darkly-lit area. These experiences are all due to

certain neurons in the retina, called ‘rods’. Rods are the external neurons in the retina that allow

people to view images in dark locations (Photoreceptor Cells 1). Cones are the internal neurons

in the retina that allow people to see images as detailed and colorful (Photoreceptor Cells 1).

Since rods allow people to view images in dark areas, they allow people to use their night vision,
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known as “scotopic vision” (Schubert 276). Any external light during these times, such as the

use of electronic devices and their blue light, impacts the functions of the eye, making rods more

sensitive than cones. Photopic vision is the ability to see at “high ambient light levels”, during

the day, controlled by the cones in the eyes. Scotopic vision relates to human vision at low

ambient light level (e.g. at night) when vision is mediated by rods. Rods have a much higher

sensitivity than the cones” (Schubert 276). These abilities are associated with the different types

of photoreceptors that are impacted by varying levels of light.

The photoreceptor cells, rods and cones heavily depend on people’s circadian rhythms.

Thus, they must not be controlled incorrectly, because adolescent sleep qualities would diminish.

Blue light has a greater intensity and impact on the circadian system, when compared with other

types of light such as red light, because “the efficacy of blue synchronizing the circadian rhythm

can be three orders of magnitude greater than the efficacy of red light” (Schubert 288). Blue light

has a higher magnitude than red light does, displaying how powerful it can be portrayed.

Regardless of the type of light, long exposure still inhibits adolescents’ abilities. According to

Paul, Saafir, and Tosini, an experiment showed the effect of light exposure on rodents’

autonomic functions, such as “stimulatory and inhibitory effects on heart rate, and blood

pressure” (10). However, this depends on the intactness of suprachiasmatic. The suprachiasmatic

nuclei are a group of neurons called the “hypothalamic neurons”, which act as the “central neural

pacemaker for the generation and/or synchronization of circadian rhythms in mammals”

(Czeisler and Gooley 580). Therefore, light that pierces through the night from our electronic

devices is displayed as “inappropriate signals” that pass through the suprachiasmatic nuclei,

which cause changes in the circadian systems of animals (Paul, Saafir, and Tosini 1). In addition,
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another way that light exposure impacts circadian rhythms is with a “rapid decrease in the

melatonin levels” (Paul, Saafir, and Tosini 1). Sleep onset is triggered by rising melatonin levels,

thus blue light suppression of melatonin interferes with sleep onset and promotes late night

alertness. Melatonin is a hormone that plays an important factor in reaching REM sleep (“Blue

light has a dark side” 1), by alerting the pineal gland, which regulates the secretion of the

hormone, especially at night, when melatonin levels increase (West et al. 1). This suppression of

melatonin is due to exposure to a bright light and becomes the most sensitive to blue light

(Czeisler and Gooley 583). Therefore, because blue light harms a multitude of aspects associated

with achieving the most important cycle of sleep, it results in a diminished quality of sleep

among adolescents.

Blue light illuminates electronics, creating the ability to wake one up from a deep sleep.

Although light is necessary for ease with waking up in the mornings, excessive light exposure

can prove detrimental to visual abilities. In the human eye, there are also melanopsin expressing

intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs). These receptors are sensitive to light

and provide information to the brain about whether or not it is light or dark outside. These

receptors are exquisitely sensitive to blue short frequency light. It is the axons of these ipRGCs

that form the retinohypothalamic pathway to cue the brain about the time of day. These ipRGCs

should be quiet at night when it is dark. Exposure to electronic devices emitting blue light

triggers these retinal ganglion cells to fire when they should be quiet, creating misinformation for

the brain and promoting alertness. The light exposure to the highest frequency of wavelength,

blue light impacts the eye by sending inappropriate signals to certain neurons and leading to the

inability to maintain optimal circadian cycles. Due to the lack of a beneficial sleeping quality,
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adolescents are experiencing the harmful effects, ultimately interfering with their everyday lives

in education.

Due to excessive use of technology at night before sleep and during sleep, many teens

suffer from sleep deprivation which harms attitudes and mindsets the following day, especially

for those heading into a learning environment. This is the situation for many adolescents today,

as many students are falling into the continual cycle of staying up late to complete homework,

therefore impacting their abilities to learn effectively the next day. ​This has the greatest impact

on adolescents, who require a certain amount of electronic free time, in order to replenish their

minds for optimal mental abilities. ​Students are damaging their abilities to perform well on

schoolwork and their responsibilities that solely rely on a beneficial quality of sleep.

Adolescents who face their education with a positive mindset, are usually determined

to perform well on schoolwork, but avoid any situations where stress may be involved. However,

on stressful days, students tend to experience increased anxiety levels in anticipation of the tests.

A heightened level of anxiety may also interfere with sleep onset. Furthermore, studying late the

night before an exam and exposing the brain to late night light interferes with sleep. Depriving

students of adequate sleep time not only interferes with learning but results in even greater levels

of anxiety and nervousness Students can undermine their potential ability to perform well in

school by not meeting the necessary 8.5-9.5 hours of sleep requirement per night, which creates a

chain effect of deprived sleep schedules and greater levels of anxiety and nervousness. On a

stress-less school day, sleeping habits and maintaining the best qualities of sleep are more

significant than on stressful school days (Wolfson and Carskadon 500). However, on stressful

days, anxiety may “supersede sleepiness in affecting test performance” (Wolfson and Carskadon
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500). This create the idea that nervousness over assignments has a similar impact on sleep

deprivation, as it also has on test performance. Test performance, assignments, and grades are all

interconnected with grade point average, which relies on the ability to be able to pay attention in

classes and retain the information being taught. A lack of a sufficient amount of sleep, such as

“later weekday and weekend wake up times, later weekday and weekend bedtimes” results in

lower grade point averages (Wolfson and Carskadon 497). This is due to the fact that

experiments based on sleep-deprived adolescents have shown that there are “decrements in

verbal creativity, attention, and psychomotor performance following either sleep restriction or

sleep deprivation” (Wolfson and Carskadon 502). These deficient abilities are due to a shortened

sleeping length and can affect adolescents all throughout their middle school to college years

(Wolfson and Carskadon 502). Grade point average is not the sole factor in determining one’s

ability to perform well in school, but it is an important aspect.

Although students’ abilities to perform well on schoolwork are affected as a result of

sleep deprivation, the issue falls deeper than this; it begins with performances on

neurobehavioral tasks and student’s abilities displayed through their attitudes and mindset. Sleep

deprivation results in altered states of consciousness, such as lapses in attention, memory

deficits, and untimely responses (Basner et al. 1). These prevent students from performing at

their best levels in school. In addition, other effects include “compensatory response

disinhibition; psychomotor and cognitive slowing; working memory deficits; slow eyelid

closures; and reduced physiological latency to sleep” (Basner et al. 1). Aside from enhancing

attentiveness, sleep has other benefits that aid students with succeeding in school. It is effective

for consolidating memory and allowing students to learn new information, in order to retain it
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overnight. But, sleep deprivation would result in the “well-documented benefits of sleep for

memory consolidation” (Basner et al. 1). This diminishes student’s abilities to retain the

information learned, thus decreasing their performance. Sleep deprivation also results in the

degrading of “executive functions and reasoning” (Basner et al. 2). Groeger et al. defines

executive functions as the ability to learn sequentially, switch between a highly learned sequence

and random trials, anticipate that a change is about to occur, and quickly switch responses to

different types of tests, an example being card sorting (1). With less sleep, responses to certain

activities become slower. The degradation of executive function seen with sleep restriction

makes it difficult for people to manage tasks in an orderly sequence and complete them. A lack

of sleep results in slow reaction time, which eventually makes executive functions in adolescents

become less optimal.

An maximized quality of sleep is primarily dependent one’s attitude, which is one of

the leading factors in the cause of sleep deprivation. A total sleep deprivation often results in the

degradation of certain functioning abilities during school the next day.

Sleep is one of the most critical aspects of human life because it aids in the regulation

of certain hormones as well as restoring us physically and cognitively. However, without a

sufficient amount of sleep, these hormones do not have the ability to function correctly, therefore

leaving detrimental health impacts. In the setting of sleep deprivation there is disruption of

normal function of the weight and appetite regulating hormones: leptin and ghrelin, with a

resultant reduction in leptin and increase in ghrelin.

Sleep is vital to the maintenance of energy homeostasis and weight control. The

hormone leptin, produced in adipose (fat) cells regulates the amount of fat stored by the
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individual cells. In the setting of insufficient sleep time there is suppression of leptin activity

promoting increased fat storage. (Olson 1). Also, according to Olson, “REM sleep is associated

with a decrease in leptin during sleep” (1). Increasing leptin levels is a positive aspect because it

can help to regulate an appetite, but decreasing leptin levels creates negative impacts because

then appetites become uncontrollable. With a decrease in sleeping qualities, REM sleep cannot

be reached, thus creating a decrease in leptin. According to Spiegel, leptin concentrations depend

on energy balances that result from calorie intake and are elevated during sleep, after meals

during the daytime (1). Any source of activity in the nervous system inhibits the release of leptin,

so “sleep restriction may result in decreased leptin levels because of an inhibitory effect of

increased sympathetic outflow” (Spiegel 1). A decreased leptin level is faulty; increasing leptin

levels are supposed to regulate energy balance by suppressing appetite and food intake, which

would result in weight loss. But, if the amount of leptin decreases, then there would be a weight

gain, instead of a loss. Sleep restriction, or depriving people of their sleep creates “a reduction in

serum concentrations of leptin and an increase in serum ghrelin concentrations” (Figueiro 1).

Low leptin levels are associated with increased fat storage and weight gain. After experiencing

sleep deprivation, one’s leptin concentrations may reduce, but the ghrelin concentrations would

increase. Ghrelin is the hormone that increases the appetite for food intake, known as the

“endogenous ligand of the growth hormone secretagogue receptor” (Dzaja 1). According to

Dzaja, with a sufficient amount of sleep, the amount of ghrelin increases during the night and

decreases in the morning, but with sleep deprivation, ghrelin levels only slightly increase (1).

Overall, ghrelin is vital in increasing appetite, initiating meals, and generating weight gain
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(“Ghrelin” 1). Leptin and ghrelin both play important roles in the food consumption process, but

sleep deprivation among adolescents proves their roles detrimental.

Leptin and ghrelin are hormones that help control one’s appetite, and contribute to

one’s growth. This is vital among adolescents because during this stage of their lives, regulating

adolescents’ appetites determines their health in the future. However, their purposes can become

altered due to sleep deprivation. Leptin is released by “adipocytes”, which signifies the amount

of fat stored in the body, so a decreased amount indicates a shortage in calories and an increased

amount signifies a high amount of energy (Motivala 1). An experiment was conducted on rats

testing this theory, where rats experience complete sleep deprivation, and their food intake and

energy expenditure increased as a result (Taheri 1). As a result, both leptin and ghrelin levels

need to be closely examined as factors that correspond poor sleep to one’s body weight

(Motivala 1). Ghrelin is “involved in the regulation of food intake and energy balance” (Klok 1),

making it the leading factor in determining and controlling body weight. It also plays a bigger

role in maintaining body weight because ghrelin concentrations increase with weight loss, and

decrease with weight gain, changing in response to a specific weight (Klok 1). Once the issue of

obesity has become a genuity, there is “a disturbed diurnal variation in leptin and ghrelin levels”

(Klok 1), displaying how these hormones have become uncontrollable and are no longer able to

control one’s appetite. The teenage years are an integral part of helping to maintain body weight,

as the actions taken during these years determine their health in the future.

Hormones play a huge role in body regulation and ensuring that people’s appetites are

fulfilled to the maximum of their abilities. Concentrations of leptin and ghrelin become
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uncontrollable once the harmful effects have already occurred, and is entirely dependent on the

quality of sleep.

Sleep is a vital necessity and must be of adequate duration and at the appropriate time of

day. However, adolescents have not been getting this necessity, due to the increasing amount of

electronics available to distract adolescents from their responsibilities. Blue light, the light with

the highest wavelength frequency emitted from electronics, creates harmful effects when

exposed during the night. This proves detrimental to the eye and is correlated with the inability

to maintain optimal circadian cycles. Due to a lack of sleep, adolescents experience the harmful

effects, which interferes with their education. Adolescents base their emotions and attitudes on

qualities of sleep, which can be impacted because of sleep deprivation. This leads to impacted

hormones in the body that play a huge role in body regulation and are entirely dependent on the

quality of sleep. In the world today, the rise in adolescent electronic use during the hours of

optimal sleeping time is negatively affecting the quality of sleep, which leads to distressed

attitudes leading into the school day, and weight gain in the future.
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