Introduction

Twenty-first century technology has placed America in an environment where there is room for mistakes and everything is fast paced. Although it may seem beneficial to consumers, those who are left to do the work are stuck in stressful, competitive environments where there is no escape. When there is not enough time in the day, we tend to make time during the times our bodies are recuperating from a long days work. One night may not seem like too much of a problem, but it can progress to weeks or scattered sleeping patterns. Regardless of lack of time during the day, the night should be solely left to prepare our bodies to help us through the day to come. Lack of sleep can affect us the very next day, as well as accumulate to result in chronic illnesses. Some problems caused by sleep deprivation that affect all ages are drowsy driving, snoring, and decreased performance. Statistics show that “twenty percent of all serious car crash injuries in the general population are associated with driver sleepiness, independent of alcohol effects (Wickboldt et al., p4).” Teens are already known for their reckless driving, but most will not believe that the underlying problem is due to a lack of sleep. Most of these symptoms are usually unnoticed because it has become prevalent in the American culture to stay up late. In America alone, “it is estimated that 50 to 70 million Americans suffer from chronic disorder of sleep and wakefulness, hindering daily functioning and adversely affecting health (Wickboldt et al., p 20).” Lack of sleep is not something that can be seen like obesity, or given special treatment in school like how kids with Attention Deficit Disorder get extra hours to complete a test. Therefore, it is our job as a community to recognize that if we do let this overcome teenagers and adults, it will become another regular widespread illness that could