Transcript
Get some sleep! General Purpose: To persuade Specific Purpose: To persuade my audience to prioritize sleep because sleep deprivation can cause many health and social problems
Have you ever slept through a meeting? Have you ever felt too tired to go out with friends? Have you ever fallen asleep trying to study or even during class? Are you sleeping now? With all of the events and activities that fill our schedules each day, there is a huge need for us to prioritize sleep. I’m sure that when you sit down with your schedules, which are jam packed with study, work, and hanging out, the first thing to get cut back is sleep. As a full time, college student with a job, I have often cut back on sleep to get other things done. However, I have also run into the problem of being tired the next day. Unfortunately, being tired is not the only problem associated with sleep loss. Sleep deprivation can cause many health and social problems; therefore, you must prioritize sleep in your daily life.
Many of you probably do not get near enough sleep, which is detrimental to your health and social life. Many students do not get near enough sleep; this much is obvious by attendance in classes, the alarm clocks that never go off in the dorms, and the number of students who stay up late throughout the week to go downtown. Other obvious signs that they are being sleep deprived are the blank stares, falling asleep in class, and snapping at friends. Ramification: Without sleep, your body ceases to function normally and weakens your immune system; in addition to that lack of sleep makes you irritable and drowsy.
The Medical Editorial Board states that sleep deprivation “can interfere with memory, energy levels, mental abilities, and emotional mood.” A study conducted by the University of Chicago Medical Center indicates that the “condition drastically affects the body’s ability to metabolize glucose, leading to symptoms that mimic early-stage diabetes.” Pointing: This problem is rampant among high school and college age students in particular, but is also increasing in other areas too. According to a CNN health article, “America’s sleep problems have reached epidemic proportions, and may be the country’s number one health problem.” Clearly this is something that we need to be concerned about now, because too many people rank sleep too low on their priority list.
Severe sleep loss is an issue that concerns us all and that few take seriously; however, there is a very simple solution to this problem. The solution to this problem would be for people to prioritize sleep in their daily lives. We should make it a priority to get the recommended amount of sleep each night. According to a WebMD article, “experts say that 7 to 9 hours is the recommended amount of sleep.” This may seem like a lot of time, but in order to be fully functioning and feel rested the next day, it is a necessity. Make sure that sleep is a priority by getting the recommended amount of sleep each night is easy and effective.
All one needs to do is go to bed at a regular hour each night. Don’t sleep throughout the day, but only at night, so that your body will become conditioned to being restful. Meeting Objections: Some of you may argue that getting that much sleep is impossible with the amount of work and activities that you plan each day and night.
However, if you took out all of the time that you spend taking naps, and all of the extra time it takes to do things because you are too lethargic to do them efficiently, then you would realize that you probably waste as much time as you would spend sleeping. If you had a healthy night’s sleep, you would be able to get your work done quicker and actually end up with more time to do what you needed to during the day.
The benefits to getting enough sleep are clear and expansive. How many of you feel groggy, as though clouds were filling up your head? Now picture those clouds floating away, leaving your mind clear and your body limber and quick. You don’t have to imagine this effect. It can be a reality when you get the recommended amount of sleep. The National Sleep Foundation reports that “Sufficient sleep helps us think more clearly, complete complex tasks better and more consistently and enjoy everyday life more fully.”
Not getting enough sleep, on the other hand, has hugely detrimental effects. Sleepiness has negative effects that begin with simple embarrassment when your face hits the desk, or you wake up in a pool of your own drool. But they can get much more serious. For example, the National Sleep Foundation also states that a lack of sleep is “associated with reduced short-term memory and learning ability, negative mood, inconsistent performance, poor productivity and loss of some forms of behavioral control.” Comparison of Positive and Negative: The choice between being healthy and mentally stable and being sick and irritable is as simple as going to bed.
Sara Ross, graduate student at ECU, finds the choice even simpler. She says,
“Sleep or die.”
In conclusion, I urge you to take that action and make that choice. Sleep deprivation is associated with many health risks, as well as social problems. Statement of Desired Action or Attitude Change: Therefore, the need to prioritize sleep in our lives is an obvious solution to this issue. Close with Impact: Ultimately, as stated in the Better Sleep Guidebook, sleep “affects all aspects of your day – from how you feel, to your relationships, productivity, and ultimately, your quality of life.” So tonight, sleep well.
