Photo by Inayat Thukral

Junior Ojas Tare takes a nap during lunch to catch up on sleep.

There are two poles to the sleep spectrum: the early risers and the night owls. Either you wake up before the sun rises and get a head start on the day, go to the gym, finish some homework or even study for a test, or you stay up until two in the morning to get everything you need to get done before you hit the hay. But which is better, and why?

For the early risers, waking up when the sun rises promotes productivity more since you accomplish tasks after a good night’s sleep. “At night, I don’t get to produce good quality work or study, but in the morning, I can. It’s just how I work,” junior Ojas Tare said.

While it may not seem ideal for a high school student to wake up early, sleep schedules tend to balance out. “I usually go to bed at 9:30, and I wake up around 5, though it can vary,” Tare said.

Waking up early also tends to allot extra time that might be unavailable if you slept in. “In the morning, I’m able to finish all of my homework, make my lunch, eat breakfast, get ready, and do my chores,” Tare said.

While waking up early has benefits, it is easier said than done. Junior Joy Nadda sleeps between 10 p.m. and 12 a.m. and wakes up between 5 and 6 a.m., which isn’t ideal for her. “I don’t like my sleep schedule because I feel like I don’t get enough sleep, and I constantly feel slumped,” Nadda said.

For the night owls, working into the dead of night is the time to get work done. As high schoolers, especially if you have a job, balancing after-school activities and school work, working late is the only option that works. “I don’t love my sleep schedule, but it’s what works for me and my work schedule. I stay up normally doing homework or reading,” senior Brielle Rudolph said.

Sometimes, working late happens when you are focused on getting work done or ahead on upcoming assignments. “When I stay up late, I usually complete tasks like homework, work for the next couple of days if I know I’ll be busy, and personal work,” Nadda said.

Although it is the only time for people who work, sometimes working so late doesn’t provide the best rest the next day. “I feel pretty good throughout the day but start getting tired around eighth period. Usually, I drink a cup of coffee every morning, but it’s normally decaf, and then around seventh period, I have a Celsius packet,” Rudolph said.

Overall, according to Sleep Foundation, waking up early has more benefits. While it may not seem ideal for most with how hectic life can get, it allows more time for rest and tends to leave people feeling better. “Throughout the day, I feel good, rested and exhilarated. While I would like to get a full 10 hours of sleep, I do not mind my sleep schedule now,” Tare said.