Yawn. I hear that sound all the time in the morning, because most everyone is tired. Do you always feel tired in the morning during the first few hours of school? Like you wanna just fall asleep in the middle of class. I’m a 7th grader at Farnsworth Middle School, and I have the same feeling almost every day. That sleepy feeling is caused by lack of sleep.
Most teens require around 9.5 hours of sleep per night. But according to the National Sleep Foundation, on school nights one-fourth of teens get less than 6.5 hours of sleep. Three hours less than what is recommended.
I know that I get more sleep than that, but I still get less than 9.5 hours of sleep. I wake up in the morning around 6:30 A.M. and get to bed around 10:30 P.M. That means I only get 8 out of the 9.5 recommended hours of sleep.
Sleep is an important thing in keeping our minds and body healthy. According to sleep expert Mary Carskadon, sleep affects teens ability to concentrate, learn and solve problems. Plus they are more likely to doze off in class.
If you're a kid you probably hear this on school nights: “Go to bed early!” But that doesn’t always help. Scientists say most adult’s bodies release a hormone telling them it’s bedtime around 9:30 P.M, and in teens the chemical isn’t released until about 10:30 P.M. So if you can’t go to bed early . . . you have to wake up late.
Waking up later isn't always easy when you have to pack your bag, grab a bite and catch a bus all in 45 minutes or less. I will admit starting school later would allow for kids to sleep in more, but later school means later everything. If my school started at 9:55 A.M, I would not get out until 4:25 P.M. and not get home until 5:00 P.M.: too late for some things I do after school. One of the reasons why schools start early is to allow time for teens afterschool activities. One student from Washington D.C., Tia Young, is no longer able to help elementary kids with their homework now that her school starts later.
But think about how much better it would be for your body and brain if you got the recommended 9.5 hours of sleep. One simple way to grab a couple more Zzzs in the morning is to cut down on what you have to do in the morning. It takes me about 10 minutes to pack my bag and about 20 to make my lunch. Both of these morning hassles are fairly simple to do the night before-making lunch depends on what you making. Not doing these in the morning clears up a total of around 30 minutes for me. Which for me means that I am allowed three more hits of my snooze button.
I think that sleep is required to be your best. So I try to do somethings the night before, cutting down on my morning routine. When I do, I feel faster, stronger, smarter and just plain better. When you have a chance to hit the snooze button in the morning or doing something the night before, I suggest taking it. It will only benefit you in the long run.