Sophomore Naeha Muralikrishnan’s fixed sleep schedule, established for years, has started to get worse after coming back to in-person school. Staying up late to study and finish assignments and then waking up early to go to school on time has made it hard for her to get the amount of sleep she used to get in the past.

Teenagers, especially high school students, are supposed to get eight to 10 hours of sleep every night. On school nights this does not always happen, but getting this much sleep should be everyone’s goal. If teens start to get less than eight to 10 hours of sleep, they are not getting enough sleep.

Getting enough sleep is important to stay well rested and perform well in all activities during the school day. Students perform better academically when they get a good amount of sleep. “Some nights when I don’t sleep well or get enough sleep, I struggle to not fall asleep in my classes,” sophomore Ayesha Gulati said.

A lack of a good night’s sleep also affects appearance. The skin turns pale and dark circles form under the eyes. In high school, teens are a little more conscious about looks and a negative effect upsets sensitive teenagers.

In addition to lack of concentration and trying not to fall asleep in class, it also creates a hormonal imbalance in teens, which affects their overall health. This includes lack of appetite, headaches and more. “I have to wake up at 4 a.m.for swimming on some days, so I have to finish my homework early and go to bed so I’m not exhausted during the school day,” freshman Elizabeth Gao said.

Good amounts of rest keep one not only healthy, but also cheerful all day.  A student is inclined to be more grumpy and negative if they are not fully rested. “Sleep is very important for me, if I don’t get enough my day gets disrupted,” Muralikrishnan said.

Habitual late sleepers procrastinate on their work while  others who do not procrastinate still stay up late either because they have homework or because they cannot fall asleep. “I’m sleep deprived,” sophomore Samantha Rafiqul said.

Sleep deprivation is a serious problem but also pretty common. There are techniques that assist in being able to sleep better and faster. For example, taking a warm showerbefore bed helps get into a sleepy mood by calming nerves.

Every teenager is different, there are those who do not need eight to 10 hours of sleep. Some students can perform perfectly fine with just six hours of sleep or even less.

Sleep therapists recommend staying away from technology a couple hours before going to bed. However, it’s understandable that this is difficult for students to follow when they are trying to complete their assignments. Everyone needs to find a balanced schedule that works for them.