Seeing someone fall asleep during class is more common than not nowadays, but that shouldn’t be the norm. With the combined time it takes to go to school, have a job, complete homework, and go to practice, and scroll on TikTok (does that make anyone feel targeted?), it may feel impossible to go to sleep at a decent time. But doing so will make your efforts during the day pay off even more.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is recommended that teens aged 13 to 17 years get at least 8 to 10 hours of sleep, and those over 18 should be getting at least 7 hours of sleep per night (CDC 2024).
For most, though, this is nowhere near the reality. Many teens don’t prioritize getting enough sleep because they have become accustomed to after so many years of falling asleep past midnight and getting up early for school.
Except that this routine is something that everyone should be mindful of, especially female and 12th-grade students, who were recorded to have 80% and 84% of their demographic getting insufficient sleep as of 2021, a number that seems to continue rising (CDC 2024).
Without getting sufficient sleep, teenagers are at a higher risk for mood disorders, cognitive impairments, a weakened immune system, obesity, and more (AFMC).
No one thinks that they are the target of these effects, but they may not show up as drastically as one would assume. Someone may simply find themselves more easily upset at their friends and blame it on hormones, or have a constant runny nose that they’ve been blaming on Flu season for months now.
These symptoms are easy to ignore, but doing so isn’t helping anything, and your health should come as a priority, even if it means resorting to a more “boring” lifestyle.
Simple fixes, which are often referred to as “Sleep Hygiene,” although difficult to implement at first, are often extremely worth the adjustment period. This method includes a relaxing, yet strict routine to “eliminate screens 30–60 minutes before sleep, and maintain a cool, dark, and quiet sleep environment” (AFMC).
Getting back on track may be hard to do, but any step in the right direction can make an impact, even just an extra 30 minutes (Bean). This may mean taking melatonin on an especially restless night, but that’s totally fine, and not cheating. Above all, it’s considered healthy as long as it’s not something being relied on.
When someone gets the right amount of sleep, their body is able to properly recover and repair itself. When working out or studying for an important test, sleep becomes especially vital, as the body can “rebuild our muscles” and allow “our brains [to] work better so that we can focus” (John Hopkins Medicine).
So, the next time you find yourself scrolling on TikTok a bit later than you should or cramming for your upcoming test, think about the consequences, and determine if it’s really worth it or if healthier habits may be worth considering.
