Answers to research questions 11-15
11. How does sleep deprivation influence emotional regulation and cognitive performance? Lack of sleep has negative effects on both the body and mind. Generally, it leads to reduced cognitive functions such as memory and concentration decline, slower judgment and decision-making, emotional instability like irritability and anger, increased depression and anxiety, and greater feelings of fatigue and exhaustion. It also weakens the immune system, reducing resistance to illness, slows reaction times which raises the risk of accidents, disrupts hormonal balance causing increased appetite and risk of obesity, increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases, and lowers performance in school or work. This section focuses on the effects of sleep duration on cognitive function and emotional state. An experiment was conducted with 50 high school students aged 17 to 18 from northern Israel, comparing cognitive function and emotional state after 8 to 10 hours of sleep (optimal sleep) and 4 ...