Chapter 2 of Nurture Shock is about the importance of sleep, especially in developing adolescents. One of the primary focuses of the chapter is the many differences between the sleep in children and adults. Over time, the actual cycles of sleep which in turn mean that different parts of the brain and functions are at play. By using various research experiments, the authors argue that sleep deprivation can potentially cause many issues such as: harming the encoding of memory and obesity. Studies show that children are in slow-wave sleep for about 40% of the night, which is ten times more than most adults. Children require a different amount of sleep than adults because of the vast differences in their stages of development and actual sleep cycles. …show more content…
The brains of these individuals don’t produce the hormones that aid in sleep until a later hour then adults and younger children. Yet, they are still required to wake up at early hours of the morning for school. This shift is not accounted for, which is why many teens have issues staying awake in class. This can ultimately cripple their grades and learning capabilities. It’s a constant debate because if school were to be later, it could impede on the schedules of teams, teachers, and families, etc… Another point that was discussed in the chapter was that referring to lack of sleep aiding in the increasing number of obese children in the world. Aside from the fact that when children are sleeping they aren’t eating food, sleep loss elevates stress hormones, specifically ones that make fat. Human growth hormone can also by impeded, which is also a key hormone in the breakdown of fats. Overall, sleep has extreme amounts of health benefits and when it is disrupted, it can harm the development of