Dr. Robert Vorona, An Associate Professor Of Internal...

There is no such thing as a sleep deprived horse, bat, whale, or any other mammal for that matter except the human. Humans are the only creature in their mammalian class to prolong other activities at the expense of sleep (National Sleep Foundation 1). The cost of such practices is our own lives and unfortunately, many do not know it. Study author Dr. Robert Vorona, an associate professor of internal medicine in the Division of Sleep Medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia stated â€Å"‘Teenagers need over nine hours of sleep a night, and it looks like a large number of teens don’t get sufficient sleep . . . that relates to the time that high schools begin’† (qtd. in Holhan 1). I believe the amount of sleep a student can get is largely based on the time his or her school begins. Sleep and student are not synonymous as in the fact that if one is affiliated with any sports, clubs, after school activities, or enrolled in challenging courses they are most likely up to their neck in home work once they arrive home. Finishing homework assignments, especially after coming home from an after school activity, can sometimes interfere with the 7-9 hours of sleep teenagers need every night. This large problem is detrimental for many reasons. Not receiving a full nights rest before waking up and driving to work or school early in the morning can simulate effects similar to driving under the influence of drugs which can lead to traffic collisions (Kendall Hamilton