Sleep is critical to our mental and physical well-being, but it is often one of the first things we neglect when times get busy and life gets stressful. Unfortunately, it isn't just something which only happens in the spring when we lose the hour of sleep - it is a standard state of being for far too many students. In fact, I recently read an article that said less than 15 percent of teens are getting adequate sleep levels. Yikes! 85% of you are not getting the sleep that you need... pretty scary... and yet, also not surprising.
Think about it, the average 14-18 year old requires 8-10 hours of sleep per night. If you have to be up by 6am for school that means you would have to go to sleep between 8-10pm each night. I don't know very many students who are able to go to sleep at 8pm. Not only do things like school work, sports, clubs, part-time jobs, time with family and friends interefere with going to sleep that early, but teens also have an internal clock that rarely makes going to sleep that early easy.
But, if you are displaying the signs of being sleep deprived (and so many of you are) then it is something to truly try to figure out how you can get even a little more sleep each night. Start with reasonable goals - maybe go to bed 30 minutes earlier than normal for a week and see if you can tell a difference. The next week perhaps you can stretch it an additional 15 minutes so that you are getting 45 more minutes of sleep a night. I truly believe that any improvement in the amount of sleep will pay off for you in the long run.
If you are having trouble staying awake in class, falling asleep at night, staying asleep once you go to sleep, or want other hints or suggestions on how to maximize the amount of time and quality of sleep you are getting in a night, please stop by and see me. I have lots of hints and suggestions that might be helpful.
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