Most school kids aren’t getting enough sleep
More and more kids across America are coming to school with less than enough sleep for a variety of reasons.
October 30, 2015
Yawwwnnn! It’s no secret that high school students across the globe are sleep deprived. Every day, they drag themselves into school, just hoping they can find a time slot for a power nap.
As shown in a recent study, only about eight percent of high school students get enough sleep on an average school night. The majority of students can suffer from drowsiness, depression, and poor performance at school.
Here at Bellwood-Antis, the story is no different. In a single trip down the hallway, it is not uncommon to see a dozen or more students yawning or with their eyes half open.
The aforementioned study (the 2007 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey), evaluated 12,000 student responses in grades nine through twelve.
Ten percent of students sleep only five hours a night, and twenty-three percent sleep only six hours.
The National Sleep Foundation defines nine hours of sleep a night as optimal, eight hours as borderline, and anything less than that as not enough.
Senior Jake Burch had a theory as to why teens are so sleep deprived.
“I think kids are up on their cell phones or other devices all night,” he said. “Since they have access to all forms of social media and communication with their friends, it is difficult for them to turn off whatever they’re on and get some sleep.”
When a student is feeling their most tired varies a good deal.
“For me personally, I get hit with a groggy feeling right after lunch,” Burch added.
Ms. Andrea Brant also had some insight on the topic.
Since they have access to all forms of social media and communication with their friends, it is difficult for them to turn off whatever they’re on and get some sleep.
— Jake Burch
“I’d say I see a moderate amount of tired kids at the school. As the day goes along they seem to get more energized,” she said.
She agreed that it is the electronics such as TV, computers, and phones that are keeping kids up at night when they should be getting some rest.
“I think that lack of sleep ends up affecting students’ grades, motivation, and participation in class,” Brant concluded.
Talking to students, it is obvious that most of them feel the same about not getting enough sleep on school nights. Freshman Mya Decker says that sports and cell phones are the main reasons people don’t get enough sleep.
“I don’t get home from sports ‘till ten o’clock most nights,” said Decker, who dances at Andrea’s School of Dance on Main Street every evening.
Owen Shaulis agrees that sports keep kids out pretty late at night. He also thinks heavy amounts of homework are keeping students up.
“I’m basically yawning during every class and putting my head down, trying to fall asleep,” Shaulis related.
Just like Decker and Shaulis, freshman Jordan Beam agreed that she doesn’t get nearly enough sleep.
“I have to stay up late because I have a ton of homework,” she explained. “Then I almost fall asleep in most of my classes because I’m so tired.”
If this isn’t enough evidence that high school students aren’t getting enough sleep at night, what is? Homework and sports are keeping them up to all hours of the night and not allowing them to get proper rest.
Kids are practically falling asleep in their classes! Something has to change, or high school students aren’t going to be awake to get the education they deserve.
