Why Generation Z Needs More Sleep

I feel full of regret, as last night I was doomscrolling til 1AM and now I can only remember one or two reels about cats dancing and those viral Japanese crepes with a mountain of whipped cream. Sleeping the recommended 8 hours is no longer a reachable standard anymore in Gen-Z and younger generations. A lack of sleep among youth has become the norm, which is greatly affecting our health. Generation Z is limiting their sleep due to their cellular devices, as it’s become normalized to be constantly active on social media or on phones in general, creating an unavoidable addiction and stealing young people’s sleep. The lack of sleep has come with many consequences affecting youth, such as academics, their bodies’ functions, and their mental health.

Younger generations have relied more on their cellular devices ever since the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, which had a major impact on the youth including the increase of online meetings, longer phone calls, less time spent outside, and increased screentime. Cellphones have a type of visible light called blue light, which could be harmful to individuals who are constantly binging shows on TV or doomscrolling. According to the National Institute of Health it states, “…blue light emitted by electronic devices suppresses the hormone melatonin.” Melatonin is a type of hormone that gives the body a signal for when it’s time to sleep. Suppressing melatonin will affect the body’s circadian rhythms, a 24 hour cycle in the body that functions like a clock and helps the body monitor when to be awake and when to be asleep. According to the Sleep Foundation it states, “Being exposed to blue light…can trick our brain into thinking it is still daytime, disrupting circadian rhythms and leaving us feeling alert instead of tired.” Blue light exposure is negatively impacting the body sleep schedule and making the body feel more awake leading to a lack of sleep. 

When young people use their phones at night we are doomscrolling, texting individuals, gaming, and binging shows. It’s been known that generation Z are attached to their phones and don’t realize the amount of time they spend on their cellular devices. The unfulfilling entertainment that the younger generations feel from doomscrolling on social media has created an addiction to their phones, as they strive to fill that hole of boredom. The reason behind this addiction is dopamine, which is a neurotransmitter in the brain that controls your attention, mood, motivation, movement, etc. Social media is a prime example of dopamine, as doomscrolling is a constant loop of watching Instagram reels or TikToks for hours on end, which feels like a never ending escape. According to Stanford Medicine it states, “…the smartphone is the modern-day hypodermic needle, delivering digital dopamine for a wired generation.” This demonstrates that cellular devices are addictive like a drug and younger generations are brainwashed to believing that social media is one of the only things that could bring entertainment and a sense of fulfillment. It seems like it’s almost impossible for younger generations to detach themselves from the screen.

The lack of sleep that younger generations have created struggles and negative impacts on their mental and physical health. High school students struggle to wake up in the morning for school, as they are physically tired, and teachers get frustrated by students falling asleep or the lack of energy in their classes. Students are focusing less and feeling drained during the school day, which could affect their academic performance. According to Olivia Montag, a Tufts student who works in early childhood education and is researching sleep in K-12 students, “The lack of sleep affects gen Z’s mental health because individuals are not as alert during the day [which] can put a strain on mental health…not getting enough sleep disrupts your immune system which can impact one’s physical health.” This demonstrates that a good night’s rest is important in order to function throughout the day, as your body and brain can benefit from it. According to Olivia Montag she states, “Lack of sleep time affects gen Z and younger generations…not…enough sleep creates unhealthy patterns in society… individuals are expected to feel tired during the day in order to be successful…if you are not tired, you ‘are not doing it right.’” This implies that lack of sleep doesn’t only affect teenagers, but also applies to adults as well, as there is a ton of pressure to constantly work, to be seen as hardworking, and to always strive to be at the top of the economic ladder. 

Some solutions that can improve bad sleep qualities are having cellular devices in a different room than the bedroom, staying off cellular devices before bedtime, regular exercise, decreasing intake of caffeine, and managing a consistent schedule for sleep. Montag says “…teenagers and young adults should not sleep within an arm’s distance of their cell phone. Likewise, moving sleep to be a higher priority can help ensure that individuals are closer to meeting this recommended sleep goal.” This shows that cell phones are a problem at night and should not be used for at least an hour before bedtime. Regular exercise can also improve sleep quality, as it can make it easier to fall asleep and help with stress relief, but exercising before sleeping will result in poor sleep quality. It’s best to exercise several hours before bedtime. Although cell phones can be used to help individuals to sleep, such as listening to music or white noise, as long as individuals aren’t looking directly at the screen of the cell phone it could be a solution as long as it’s effective for the individual. 

Sleep is valuable to humans to function throughout daily life and shouldn’t have to be sacrificed. The lack of sleep in younger generations has to change, as this is negativity affecting the youth and will continue throughout generations if bad sleeping habits don’t improve. I encourage everyone to ditch the cellphone before bedtime. Even parents need to stop going on Facebook looking at memes at midnight!