As a senior who’s dealing with the whole
college process, trying to maintain good grades, participating in the French
club, and who enjoys eating and breathing, I can tell you that sleep is
something I’m not seeing very much of these days. Personally, I sleep on average of four to five hours a
night. This is four hours less
than what I should be getting in order to keep my body healthy and running
properly.
However, there’s a catch to this whole sleeping
thing. Students are expected to
get at least 8 hours of sleep a night.
But, we’re also supposed to go to school, and do homework when we get
home. As if that wasn’t enough,
clubs, sports, volunteering, and other activities that really help kids get
into college are being pushed at us.
So, how are kids going to get the sleep they need when they have so much
to get done? Oh, and I left out
the best part – the sleeping patterns of adolescents and the biological clock
we have make it difficult to fall asleep before 11 PM. Now you have a choice – do homework and
get ample sleep OR do homework, participate in a club or sport or other
activity, and sacrifice your sleep every night. What do you choose?
On average, teens need about 8 ½ to 9 ¼ hours
of sleep a night to function at their best. 15% of teens are able to sleep for 8 ½ hours on school
nights. More than 30% of teens
suffer from sleep disorders such as narcolepsy, insomnia, and sleep apnea. Irregular sleeping patterns can also
contribute to messing up with your biological clock. During winter break, a two week period in which I not only
indulged in Christmas cookies and Netflix, but in sleep, I would go to bed at 2 AM, not because
of that huge history paper that I had to write, but because I could and because
I knew I could sleep in until noon and no one would think anything of it. Now that I’m back at school, my body is
keeping itself awake until 1 or 2 because it got so used to going to bed so
late. Unfortunately for me, this
system isn’t the best, as I have to wake up everyday at 6 AM.
There are more consequences to lack of sleep
than dozing off in class or forgetting what day it is. Lack of sleep limits your ability to
learn and concentrate. I’m sure
almost all teens have experienced that first-period-Monday-morning droziness
that doesn’t wear off until Wednesday.
Additionally, lack of sleep can contribute to acne and other skin
problems. The phrase, “Getting
your beauty sleep” is not an exaggeration. Regular sleeping patterns with ample sleep per night can
contribute to a clearer and brighter complexion.
Now you may be asking, why do I care about this
issue? Well, as a person sleep is
VITAL for maintaining proper and good health of the body and for mental and
emotional stability. Lack of sleep
can cause hallucinations; accidents; serious health problems like heart
disease, heart attack, heart failure, stroke, diabetes, and high blood
pressure; ages your skin; makes you forgetful and accident-prone; and weight
gain. Sleeping enables your body
to recharge and for your cells to grow.
Sleep is particularly important for babies who are growing at a very
rapid pace and for teenagers.
It may seem tempting to watch “just one more episode” on Netflix or to
finish that level on Call of Duty, but think about yourself and the sleep that
you’re going to miss out on. Don’t
get me wrong, too many a time have I been in bed at 2:30 AM clicking on the
next episode of Gilmore Girls, or Sherlock, and only regretting it in the
morning when I’m groggy and have a test.
Don’t forget to love your body and to take care of yourself! Your physical, mental, and emotional
health are so important. It’s hard
to choose between finishing a homework assignment and sleeping, but if it’s
late, do yourself a favor and hit the hay. That one assignment won’t mean much outside of that class,
but that extra hour of sleep can make all the difference the next day. Trust me, your body will thank you.
