English Presentation
Teenagers with sleep problems
Welcome to my presentation about teenagers with sleep problems.
I would like to start with this picture (shows picture of a young boy, in bed with his tablet). Many
students will recognize this situation. Nowadays, almost every student has a mobile phone and they
use it ceaselessly. This picture perfectly illustrates the most important causes of insomnia.
Causes
One of the most important causes is the excessive use of social media before bedtime. The fact is,
that the blue light from screens suppresses the production of the sleep hormone melatonin. As a
result of this, it makes it harder for teenagers to fall asleep. In addition, during puberty teenagers
also have a later release of the sleep hormone melatonin, which means they tend not to sleep until
around 11 p.m. However, teenagers and students need at least nine hours sleep a night. Enough rest
is very important, because the quality of sleep directly affects learning. People store new facts during
deep-sleep cycles. The more sleep a teenager gets, the better the information learned during the
day, is absorbed. Besides, sleep is essential for maintaining a healthy immune system, body
temperature and blood pressure.
So, the negative effects of the use of the mobile devices in combination with the effect of blue light,
makes it harder to fall asleep.
That brings me to the second cause of sleep problems which is also related to social media. Social
media leads to a lot of pressure among students. Social media pressure has a very negative impact on
young people’s mental wellbeing. And Instagram is the number one in this. These platforms have a
negative effect on the sleep pattern, because they can exacerbate children’s and young people’s
body image worries. We compare ourselves constantly to others in terms of looks, travelled
destinations, friends and so on. It leads to depressions, feelings of anxiety and loneliness. Moreover,
there is the fear of missing out. Teenagers don’t want to miss anything, so they constantly want to
keep abreast of all the things their friends do. The problem is that in the modern world, our innate
wake-up vall is constantly triggered by non-life threatening situations, like anxiety before an exam, or
worries about finances. Ans social media enormously contributes to all those factors.
Effects
Over time, sleep disorders can contribute to the symptoms of depression. Insomnia and depression feed
on each other. Sleep loss often aggravates the symptoms of depression, and depression can make it
more difficult to fall asleep. It works like a vicious circle.
Another effect of insomnia is that more people want to use melatonin. Prescriptions for melatonin
have risen. I, personally, use sometimes melatonin pills when I am very busy for example and I
already know it will take a lot of time to fall asleep. However, I don’t want to use it too often because
I want to prevent my body gets addicted. I want my body still produces it without help, which is
much healthier. But using melatonin pills is a good solution for people who are desperate.
Finally, another effect is that teenagers are more forgetful when they don’t get enough sleep. It is
difficult to keep your memory sharp. Insomnia causes daytime sleepiness and a lack of energy and this
declares why students are not motivated to study and to follow courses.
Solutions
I would like to end with some positivity, because there are solutions for this huge problem.
First of all, a good sleep routine is key in supporting a better sleep pattern. What students need, is a
strict time pattern when they go to bed and when they wake up. This absolutely increases the quality
Teenagers with sleep problems
Welcome to my presentation about teenagers with sleep problems.
I would like to start with this picture (shows picture of a young boy, in bed with his tablet). Many
students will recognize this situation. Nowadays, almost every student has a mobile phone and they
use it ceaselessly. This picture perfectly illustrates the most important causes of insomnia.
Causes
One of the most important causes is the excessive use of social media before bedtime. The fact is,
that the blue light from screens suppresses the production of the sleep hormone melatonin. As a
result of this, it makes it harder for teenagers to fall asleep. In addition, during puberty teenagers
also have a later release of the sleep hormone melatonin, which means they tend not to sleep until
around 11 p.m. However, teenagers and students need at least nine hours sleep a night. Enough rest
is very important, because the quality of sleep directly affects learning. People store new facts during
deep-sleep cycles. The more sleep a teenager gets, the better the information learned during the
day, is absorbed. Besides, sleep is essential for maintaining a healthy immune system, body
temperature and blood pressure.
So, the negative effects of the use of the mobile devices in combination with the effect of blue light,
makes it harder to fall asleep.
That brings me to the second cause of sleep problems which is also related to social media. Social
media leads to a lot of pressure among students. Social media pressure has a very negative impact on
young people’s mental wellbeing. And Instagram is the number one in this. These platforms have a
negative effect on the sleep pattern, because they can exacerbate children’s and young people’s
body image worries. We compare ourselves constantly to others in terms of looks, travelled
destinations, friends and so on. It leads to depressions, feelings of anxiety and loneliness. Moreover,
there is the fear of missing out. Teenagers don’t want to miss anything, so they constantly want to
keep abreast of all the things their friends do. The problem is that in the modern world, our innate
wake-up vall is constantly triggered by non-life threatening situations, like anxiety before an exam, or
worries about finances. Ans social media enormously contributes to all those factors.
Effects
Over time, sleep disorders can contribute to the symptoms of depression. Insomnia and depression feed
on each other. Sleep loss often aggravates the symptoms of depression, and depression can make it
more difficult to fall asleep. It works like a vicious circle.
Another effect of insomnia is that more people want to use melatonin. Prescriptions for melatonin
have risen. I, personally, use sometimes melatonin pills when I am very busy for example and I
already know it will take a lot of time to fall asleep. However, I don’t want to use it too often because
I want to prevent my body gets addicted. I want my body still produces it without help, which is
much healthier. But using melatonin pills is a good solution for people who are desperate.
Finally, another effect is that teenagers are more forgetful when they don’t get enough sleep. It is
difficult to keep your memory sharp. Insomnia causes daytime sleepiness and a lack of energy and this
declares why students are not motivated to study and to follow courses.
Solutions
I would like to end with some positivity, because there are solutions for this huge problem.
First of all, a good sleep routine is key in supporting a better sleep pattern. What students need, is a
strict time pattern when they go to bed and when they wake up. This absolutely increases the quality
