Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Kids delved into

The most common problem in the world is in fact sleep deprivation and according to research and statistics “the consequences of a poor night’s sleep include higher stress increased mistakes and difficulty concentrating.” The question is what does this mean for us and why do people go to bed so late? Or rather why they most have no choice.

50% of Americans say that they would be extremely frustrated if they lost an hour of sleep and not by choice. Also 79% of Americans say they would be better prepared for the day if they had that extra hour of sleep. What is revealed here is that 79% of americans don’t always get enough sleep time. Most of these victims are actually school kids in the higher grade levels. Most of the time the homework that is given to them is not a ridiculously huge amount but it’s about how well the person manages their workload and balances their time.

What usually ends up happening is the work they gain slowly over time builds up as they can’t finish enough homework at the rate that it is given. It all ends up being too much and they get in trouble at school. It gets even worse for them as tests start to come around. The massive stress and pressure that comes with trying to balance both workloads is not something easily handled by the mind without consequence. Cari Gillen-O’Neel studied 535 kids in high school. They found out that from 9th to 12th grade the hours of sleep reduced from 7.6 down to 6.9.

After examining what happened to a teenager when he stayed up late to finish work they said that “Regardless of how much a student generally studies each day, if that student sacrifices sleep time to study more he or she will have more trouble understanding material taught in class and more likely to struggle on an assignment or test the following day.” Unfortunately not every parent or teacher is as understanding and often scolds them for looking sleepy or not working or managing time effectively. That won’t really make a difference as they’ll probably end up going to bed late anyway.

In truth it’s not really their fault that they’re going to bed late sometimes it feels hard to go to bed directly after doing homework so they attempt to relax by reading or watching as much TV as possible in a short space of time. Those that go directly to bed don’t end up being able to sleep until past midnight and wake up feeling groggy next morning. All that most of you and others really have to do is be a bit more understanding and less harsh as not to cause so much stress for them. Eventually I hope we can all feel happy.

By Gregory

Dengue Outbreak in Tanah Merah

The Dengue level sign in the Tanah Merah neighborhood was raised from “Stay Cautious” to “High Alert”, due to the 11 cases that has just come up no more than 5 days ago. The community is worried for Mr Wo Hung and Ms Angie, two locals both living on Kew Road, who have been transported to hospital yesterday evening with intensive care. It has been confirmed they have fallen ill with cases of severe Dengue. Currently, Ms Angie is badly infected, but Mr Wo Hung is slowly making a recovery and is expected to be discharged from hospital in two weeks. “I’m just so worried for my husband, last year, I heard someone died from Dengue in hospital! I don’t want that for him, and I am praying for a safe recovery.” Mrs Liang Hung, an anxious wife from next door.

This reporter decided to investigate the “High Alert” areas which are located on Kew Road and Kew Heights. From the investigation, the areas with the highest alerts all have a large rain water drain running behind the houses, letting in the mosquitoes into the houses via the back laundry and gardens. The weather also contributed to the dengue outbreak, with showers of rain on Saturday, and cloudy the two days after. Perfect conditions for mosquitoes to lay their eggs in the still, undisturbed water. Another reason why Dengue is spreading through the Tanah Merah community, is that house owners install ponds and fountains in their front gardens for decoration. This reporter checked all the houses on Kew Avenue and Kew Road and counted a whopping 10 fountains and ponds. 7 of them are still water, practically an invitation for dengue carrying mosquitoes.

On Sunday 14th of September, a group of approximately 20 young adults dressed in sky blue shirts came round to all the houses in the Tanah Merah to check the conditions for fighting dengue. Bad conditions were reported in 12 Kew Avenue, 7 Kew Road, 11 Kew Road, and 5 Kew road, all with aspects that may contribute to the spread of Dengue. “We as a community, need to neutralise all the potential breeding areas for Dengue carrying mosquitoes. We all need to be cautious around our environment to make sure we stay healthy and safe. I suggest spraying mosquito repellent in your houses, setting up mosquito nets, and regularly changing flower vases to reduce the amount of stagnant water.” Mr Jeremy Xian, a representative of the National Environment Agency.

This reporter agrees with Mr Jeremy Xian, our community needs to become more aware of the dangers of Dengue, and act accordingly. Only with cohesion and a common goal, can we, as a community, irradiate the spread of Dengue.

By Victoria

Energy Drinks, Teenagers’ Best Friend and Worst Enemy

It’s a hard fact to digest, but all of us needs to know the truth. Nobody will admit it, but everybody has encountered obstacles in this area. When Barack Obama was re-elected, his wife Michelle was hard at work already. Her ‘get healthy’ campaign was drawing attention, not only because she was the first-lady, but because she openly accepted that there were too many unhealthy kids in America and she said that drinking water was the way to combat this.

Ms. Obama focused on getting kids to drink more water instead of drinks like Monster, 100plus, Coke, etc, which are really popular drinks with teenagers. Water is what most people would consider lacking in nutrients, electrolytes and anything useful. But, the drink most people consider useful, like Aquarius, Monster, Red Bull are actually packed with lots of unhealthy sugars and are just plain adulterated.

Dr. Jennifer Bone, spokesperson for the Academy of General Dentistry writes, “Teens regularly come into my office with these types of symptoms but they don’t know why.” This reporter believes that this is because teens don’t know what they are drinking. On that topic, Dr. Bone remarked, “They don’t realise that something as seemingly harmless as a sports of energy drink can do a lot of damage to their teeth.” But why do teens drink these?

Dr. Esther Entin, of Brown University, writes that energy drinks are used by fatigued and tired kids as a stimulant product to increase alertness and combat fatigue. This reporter understands that the amount of caffeine found these energy drinks are jaw-dropping. To put into perspective, one 237 gram cup of coffee has 95 mg of caffeine, while a 545 gram can of Monster energy drink has 8,000 mg of caffeine.

Fear not, there is work being done to combat the unhealthy growth of the fastest growing beverage market in the U.S. The FDA, Food and Drug Administration, has issued bans on certain energy drinks in several states and has sent warning letters to manufacturers of these drinks. But this isn’t good enough for people like 18 year old Dakota Sailor. The high school senior suffered a seizure and was hospitalized for 5 days after drinking 2 cans of Nos energy drink, which is made by the Coca Cola company. His doctor thinks that this has to do with the amount of caffeine or caffeine like ingredients in these drinks. Dakota says, “I know some kids who drink 4 or 5 of them a day. That’s just dumb.” That’ll help you clean out your stomach, won’t it ?

I was 6 when I was offered a caffeine rich Coca Cola at a party. I was hooked after a glass, and soon I was having 1 and sometimes even 2 cans a day. This unhealthy obsession lasted until I was 10, when I watched a video sent by my father, in which Coke was used as a toilet cleaner. I have sworn of Coke since 8/6/11, my first day of my summer holidays. I have seen friends who love Coke end up with braces and dental fillings. I am glad I did not go down that path. As you, my reader sip your drink and finish up this article, I hope you will dump your drink down the sink of toilet, instead of chugging it down, as it sure as hell won’t brighten your teeth the way it brightens up that toilet.

By Adhwaith