There are many detrimental physical effects on the body that emanate from sleep deprivation.
Sleepiness or Fatigue Primarily, one of the major consequences of sleep deprivation is fatigue or sleepiness. The lack of energy in sleep-deprived students tends to lead to sleepiness throughout the day, which has a high chance of causing one to fall asleep during class or take naps throughout the day. The tendency for one to sleep during the day decreases the student's productivity rate, which may result in a decrease in academic performance. For instance, by falling asleep in class, a student may find it hard to catch up, which may result in poor test grades. Moreover, if a student wastes his or her valuable time by napping to stay awake for the rest of the day rather than starting homework or studying earlier in the day, he or she is more likely to stay up during the wee hours of the night to complete tasks for the next morning. This habit turns into a vicious cycle of going to sleep late, being fatigued the next day, taking naps to make up for the sleepiness, completing last-minute tasks late at night, and going to sleep late again.
Fatigue is one of the most prevalent effects of sleep deprivation; in fact, when asked how lack of sleep affects the carrying out of their daily lives, at least 50% of the students who responded to my survey affirmed that they are tired throughout the day.
"I am constantly tired and that might negatively affect my performance in classes and in daily activities." - Survey Respondent
Fatigue may bring forth other symptoms of sleep deprivation, including:
Grogginess
Sluggishness
Excessive yawning
Lack of balance and coordination (Pietrangelo).
These effects are easy to detect in a student who is sleep deprived, given that they are physical signals sent by the body that indicate the body is in desperate need of sleep.