Nowadays, students sleep less than they used to in the past. What do you think is the reason behind this? What are the effects on individuals?

The principal reason behind diminishing sleep duration among students is the intensifying pressure to excel academically. To clarify, as competition for university places and career opportunities has intensified, students increasingly stay awake late into the night completing homework, revising for examinations, or attending supplementary tutoring sessions. Extracurricular commitments, increasingly expected for competitive university applications, further compress the time available for adequate rest. Furthermore, the ubiquity of smartphones and social media has considerably disrupted sleep patterns. Given that students frequently remain engaged with digital devices immediately before bedtime, the resultant blue-light exposure delays the onset of natural sleepiness, while the compulsion to continuously check notifications further postpones rest.

This sleep deprivation carries considerable consequences for students' overall functioning. To illustrate, insufficient rest markedly impairs concentration and memory consolidation, both of which are essential for effective learning; consequently, chronically sleep-deprived students often underperform academically despite investing considerable study time. Moreover, prolonged sleep deprivation adversely affects emotional regulation and physical health, increasing susceptibility to irritability, anxiety and weakened immune function. Over time, these effects can compound, leaving students trapped in a counterproductive cycle wherein diminished rest undermines the very academic performance that initially motivated late-night study.

To conclude, although mounting academic pressure and excessive screen use largely explain why students sleep less today, this deprivation carries serious repercussions for both academic performance and overall wellbeing, underscoring the need for greater emphasis on healthy sleep habits.