From late study nights to early morning classes to endless amounts of homework —  students often prioritize academics over sleep. While staying up late to finish work may seem productive, lack of sleep can do much more harm than good. Getting enough sleep is not just about rest, but it is crucial for students to perform their best at school. Read this article to know about the real secret of sleep to be successful as a student. 

Many of today’s high school students suffer from lack of sleep. While this is a concerning matter happening to so many students from all over the world, it is beginning to become more and more normalized. According to the American Physical Therapy Association, more than 2 out of 3 high school students are not getting enough sleep – and it just seems to be getting worse. With the packed schedule of high school student’s lives, it is completely understandable as to why teenagers are not able to get a good night’s sleep each night. Lack of sleep can have negative effects on concentration, memory, as well as emotional health. Having a tight schedule from homework, sports, extracurricular activities, causes students’ afternoons to be overwhelmingly busy. Also considering the early start times of school and natural shifts in teen sleep cycles also add onto the reasonings of the cause.

Often on the night before a test, students tend to stay up later to finish preparing to make sure they are ready to take the test. However, this would be doing more harm than good – as not getting enough sleep affects the brain in memory retention and processing information. Therefore, sacrificing sleep time to study longer can make it more difficult to remember information during the test. Students should be generally getting an average of 8-10 hours of sleep each night in order to be able to concentrate and be energized for the day. Lack of sleep can also affect the physical health of students, in ways such as stunting growth, negative effect on heart and metabolism, weakening immune system, and more.  

The amount of stress and pressure caused from schoolwork and exams are a big contributor to why students are not able to get good quality sleep. This is why schools should pay attention to the amount of work and tests they assign to students, making sure that they consider the other workload that the students must have from other classes and activities outside of school. 

On the bright side, there is a way to balance a productive school life with a healthy sleep schedule. As high school students, it is essential to have a schedule / routine to stick to on a daily basis. For example, if you have sports or activities after school that interfere with your time to do homework or to study – create a specific schedule for yourself to manage your time well. Time management is important when it comes to trying to maintain a stable schedule. Oftentimes, procrastination is a major reason students struggle with their lack of sleep. This act of guilty pleasure contributes to 86% of high school students’ problems of interfering with getting their work done in a timely manner. But there are multiple ways to prevent the problem of procrastination such as taking breaks while working, minimizing distractions, as well as breaking down big tasks into small steps.

Getting enough sleep each night plays an important role in helping students reach academic success. While it is understandable to not get a perfect amount of or quality of sleep each night – students should still make sure to always be mindful and prioritize taking good care of their own well-being.