The investigation was base on the variation in sleeping patterns of students aged 13-19 years of age on weekdays and weekends. This was a non-experimental design in a form of a survey. 69 Males and 81 females a total of 150 student’s where used for this survey. The survey used means such as second person survey, the Internet and social net working. The 150 people surveyed where of convince as they where all students.

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The results indicated that the student’s surveyed where getting less than the recommended hours of sleep (8 -9 hours) on weekdays and the recommend hours of sleep on weekends, it was also overwhelming in the results that on weekdays the wake up time was not preferred. The reasons for these results could be biological, environmental, social & cultural. This survey cannot be generalized because it is not a general representation it is a sample of convince.

The research investigation aims to find out the sleeping patterns or sleep wake cycle (the species-specific biological pattern of alternating sleep and wakefulness, in humans) of students between the ages of 13-19. Specifically this task aims to investigate the number of hours the students sleep on weekdays compared to weekends and if the participants wake up on the preferred time on school days. It was hypothesised that teenagers (13-19 years old) are achieving less than the recommended hours of sleep (8 -9 hours) on weekends. In addition the time that they wake up on a school morning is not there preferred time.

The hypothesis was supported by previous research such as research done by DR Karl S. Kruszelnicki 3 May 2007. In this research DR Kruszelnicki states that the natural circadian rhythm (A circadian rhythm is any biological process which displays oscillation of about 24 hours, they are adjusted to the local environment by external cues called zeitgebers, commonly the most important of which is daylight. ) is interfered with in the adolescent years (13-19) because there is a decreasing delay of onset sleep, probably due to the later realize of melatonin (a light sensitive hormone that makes us feel tired when it is dark).

Kruszelnicki also states that adolescence need more sleep than adults and children. Kruszelnicki explains that for many teens it is biologically impossible to get to sleep early and that because of this various studies have shown that average high school students are sleep- waking also known as somnambulism( a sleep disorder. Sleepwalkers arise from the slow wave sleep stage in a state of low consciousness and perform activities that are usually performed during a state of full consciousness. ) Through there school days in a semi-permanent state of sleep deprivation (the condition of not having enough sleep).

Various studies have shown that sleep deprivation can have nasty side effects in teens such as rebellious behavior, depressive symptoms, cigarette smoking, obesity, anxiety disorders and poor school marks. In the group this hypothesis was partly supported as on weekdays the participants got on average7. 75 which is less than the recommended hours sleep however in weekends the participants got on average 9. 175 hours sleep being more than the recommended hours sleep.

While the individual results where very similar to the group results being that the participants reported to be receiving on average 7. hours sleep which is less than the recommend hours. However the individual results where supported by the hypothesis in the fact that the participants reported to receive on average 8. 5 hours sleep, just on the recommended hours sleep. The independent variable of this research was the hours of sleep the students received and the dependent variable was the days of the week if it was a weekday or a weekend. This research was necessary to gain knowledge in to the sleep wake patters of students and the reason that could contribute to these sleeping patterns.

The participants where 150 adolescence age 13-19 of those 150 there where a total of 81 females and 69 males. The participants where chosen of a sample of convince as they where all high school students. The materials used to perform this research was a survey sheet a section for the participates age and sex this was followed by times that the participants where to circle when the went to sleep and wok up on weekends and weekdays. (please refer to appendix2). A second person was also needed to give out these survey sheets.

The survey sheets where photocopied and on a4 paper, pens and desks where also used for this survey as it was performed in a class room environment. This research design was non experimental, the participants where chosen as they where in the class that a second person teaches. All the participants where in year 8-10 in high school and aged between 15-17 years of age. The experiment was in the form of a survey sheet given out in classroom environment by a third party who was the classroom teacher. The variables that where investigated was the time that the students went to sleep and woke up and the days of the week.

The measures taken to control extraneous variables was that clear instructions where given to the second person to instruct the participants to not record there name on the survey sheet as it is confidential and to be as honest and as accurate as they can on the survey. The research was conducted by: 1. Survey sheet was photo copied 2. Photo copies sheets where given to 3rd party 3. Second person was given instruction that the survey was to be given out to his classes and the results where to be confidential, non graded and for the participants to be as honest and accurate as they could 1.

Second person gave out survey sheets to the participants where told that is was non graded and confidential and that there was non need to put there names on the sheets and to be as honest and accurate as they could. 2. The participants where given 10 minutes to fill out there surveys then they where collected by the second person To get the results the surveys where collected and the hours of sleep where worked out by the time that the students selected (see appendix 2) when they went to sleep and woke up. Then the hours where the added together then divided by the number of students surveyed to get the average hours of sleep.

These methods where use in both the individual results and the class results. The results where that on average in the class there was: 7. 75 hours of sleep combining both male and female participants for the week days, 9. 175 hours of sleep for the weekends, the individual results for both male and female was 7. 8 hours sleep on weekdays and 8. 5 hours sleep on weekends. The class results for male was 7. 9 hours sleep on weekdays and 9. 35 hours sleep on weekends the individual results where that the male surveyed on average received 7. hours sleep on weekdays and 10 hours sleep on weekends. The female surveyed by the class received on average 8 hours sleep on weekdays and 9. 5 hours sleep on weekends.

The individual results where that the females surveyed received 7. 9 hours sleep on weekdays and 10. 125 on weekends. It was also overwhelming in the results that the wake up time on weekdays was not the preferred wake up time. (For graphs please see appendix. ) In the group this hypothesis was partly supported as on weekdays the participants got on average7. 5 which is less than the recommended hours sleep however in weekends the participants got on average 9. 175 hours sleep being more than the recommended hours sleep. While the individual results where very similar to the group results being that the participants reported to be receiving on average 7. 8 hours sleep, which is less than the recommend hours. However the individual results where supported by the hypothesis in the fact that the participants reported to receive on average 8. 5 hours sleep, just on the recommended hours sleep.

The reasons for these current findings could be to do with the biological change that people experience when they get in to there teen years partially around the ages of 13-19. The hormone melatonin that is produce at around 10pm in most adults is released at around 1pm in many teenagers. With the hormone being produce latter teenagers are less likely to be feeling asleep early the night. Other research has been done to the reasons why melatonin is being produced later in teenagers is that many of them are staying up late on the computer playing game or social networking or watching TV.

By doing this it is bring light in to the brain and because melatonin is a light sensitive hormone this is slowing down the producing of this hormone that is vital for falling asleep. Apart from the computers and TV stuffing up the production of the melatonin they may be also just making already sleepy teenager want to stay up longer because they are more entertaining than going to sleep earlier. One of the big contributors of teens getting not enough hours sleep is that they have to wake up early for school and many have sporting commitments and part time jobs that they also would have to wake up earlier than they prefer for.

As DR Karl Kruszelnicki(2007) says Adolescents need 9-10 hours of sleep, but often have to start school early – even earlier if they do sports. This was very similar to the individual and class findings. As all of the participants where all school students so on school mornings they would have to get up for class and this would effect the amount of sleep they would receive. The difference between this previous research done by DR Kruszelnicki was that in his research 9-10 hours sleep was recommended where as in the individual results and class results 8 -9 hours was recommend.

DR Kruszelnicki recommended and extra hours sleep for his research this would of affected the findings. The confounding variables where that the participants may of acted the way they thought we wanted them to act, they may not of been able to stay asleep even though they may of went to bed and woken up at a certain time they may not have had that many hours sleep and that even thought they may have circled the time that they went to bed they may not have fallen to sleep at that time.

The ways that these confounding variables could be eliminated would be to give the participants clear instructions that what they are taking part in is confidential and to be as honest and accurate as they possibly can, the survey sheet could be rewritten to say what time do you fall asleep instead of ‘the time I go to sleep’ this would help the participants from putting down the time they went to bed instead of the time they fell asleep and on the survey sheet it could have an amount of time spent awake after falling asleep so that that could be deducted from the total hours sleep to get a more accurate result.

Future research ideas would be to change the sleeping patterns of the teenagers by making school start later. This would be interesting to see that if they did not have to get up early if they would get the recommended hours of sleep. Another future research would be to divide 10 teenagers in to two groups group one to have no computer or TV from 5pm and group two could have as much time on the computer and watching TV as they like, and to get both groups to monitor there sleep patterns in a sleep diary (a record of an individual’s sleeping and waking times with related information, sually over a period of several weeks. It is self-reported or can be recorded by a caregiver. ) To see if these thing really do interfere with the sleeping patterns of teenagers. It has been found that a lot of teenagers are not getting the recommended hours of sleep on weekday and that they are getting the recommended hours on weekends.

It has also been found the late release of melatonin may be a contributing factor to this. Teenager who stay up late on the computer and watching TV may also be contributing to why melatonin is being released later than in adults because of the light coming from these devices. Generalization: this study cannot be generalized as all the participants where samples of convenience as they where all students.

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