Get the Sleep You Need
Eighty-five percent of teenagers are sleep deprived. Fluttering eyes and dark circles have become the norm for most teenagers.
Teenagers need 8.5-9 hours of sleep a night, and they aren’t getting it. Teens with less than the recommended amount of sleep tend to be more irritable, depressed, as well as overweight and with lower grades.
A main cause for being sleep deprived is school. Students jam pack their academic schedules as well as participate in numerous extracurriculars. With early start times, it is impossible for students to get sleep. One school in our area, Stevenson High School, has noticed students struggling, and has moved its start time back to 8:30 for the 2016-2017 school year.
Although it is impossible to create more time in the day, there are some ways you can get more sleep:
Time Manage– use your free periods wisely. When you have a few extra minutes, pull out that math homework and get started!
Put away the electronics– at night, go to bed! By not checking social media you can save yourself lots of time. It is found that teenagers spend about nine hours per day watching/ listening to media.
Limit caffeine usage– don’t drink caffeinated beverages after 4 p.m. so then you can let your body rest and wind down. Drugs and alcohol makes it difficult to sleep at night as well.
Be reasonable– be conscientious of how much you are putting on your plate. Don’t overschedule yourself and push your body to the limit everyday.
Exercise– this helps your body stay healthy. Don’t exercise directly before bed because then you’ll be wide awake.
Create a preferable sleeping environment– it was found that a dark, quiet, and slightly cold room is preferable for sleeping.
Make it a priority to sleep– set a regular bedtime and do your best to follow it. If it is important to you, then you will try harder to follow it.
Sleeping isn’t an option. It is an important part of human life, and you need it to survive. By getting the correct amount of sleep, you keep your body healthy. Sleeping is doing your body a favor. Try to install a sleep schedule that works for you!
Ashley • May 19, 2016 at 10:37 am
Sleep deprivation, a condition of not having enough sleep, is extremely common among teenagers. Getting the sleep you need is very important in maintaining a student’s overall health, well being, and grades. Teenagers need a minimum of 8.5-9 hours of sleep a night. Yet they fail to get the –needed– sleep; resulting in irritability, depression, obesity, and lower grades. The issue is mainly caused by students over packing their schedules with academic and extracurricular activities; along schools’ early start time.
Hunter Fredrick • May 19, 2016 at 10:37 am
Sleep -a vital source to students- is hard to do because of all the things going on during a high school students day. And being a student that participates in extraciricular activities, some of which can take many hours, it is hard to keep up with sleep. Some people don’t have the time to get sleep; therefore these people struggle in school the next day. Sleep effects your tests. High school tests are very important for you in later years, including college and jobs. The average amount of sleep is 8 to 9 hours, but it is hard to do that with social media and other things, Homework being a big one. It is a simple fact. If the students don’t get enough time to sleep, then they won’t be at their full potential on tests and in class. We should change the time of school to 8:30am like the other schools.
Sophia Sassine • May 19, 2016 at 10:24 am
So, if you look as if you have have moons under your eyes, you’re doing something wrong. You’re lacking sleep; sleep is extremely important when coming to your education. School — a place where you learn and grow– can be difficult when it comes to sleep deprivation. Sleeping is important. We all need it. Doctors recommend at LEAST 8.5 hours of sleep. In order for all our brain cells to work they suggest having 8.5 – 9 hours of sleep. Lack of sleep can lead to obesity, depression, and students struggling in school. There are ways to get more sleep. Time management being one of the most important; managing your time can help free up time later in the day. That can lead to a longer period of sleep.
Sophia Sassine • May 19, 2016 at 10:27 am
I FORGOT MY APPOSITIVE! woopsies
mackenzie scuily • Mar 1, 2016 at 8:48 am
We should start school later. We should do that because with all the homework and sports some students are involved in its hard to get 8 hours of sleep. Lack of sleep can cause students to be grumpy and not have all their attention on school work, which can cause students grades to go down. Lack of sleep can also cause lack of memory, so the students wont be remembering the material they’re being taught.