The CDC states, “the teenage brain needs 8-10 hours of sleep per night;” however, in today’s society most high school students rarely meet this requirement in a week. Many students struggle with managing their time between rigorous courses and extracurriculars.
Allison Hertz, freshman, is enrolled in numerous high level courses this year. Hertz also participated in girls varsity basketball. Hertz shares that she often struggles with managing her time as a result.
“I would say my time management skills are pretty bad to be honest. I have time to do things. It’s just that I procrastinate so much and so I pretty much do everything at the last minute if I can,” Hertz said.
Hertz is not alone. Many students have poor time management skills resulting in lack of sleep. A survey of 35 homestead students illustrates that four out of every five students are getting less than seven hours of sleep per night. This lack of sleep often has detrimental effects on a student’s academic performance. Elizabeth Noorlander, study center supervisor, has witnessed the effects of sleep deprivation on students first hand.
“I believe that when students don’t have enough sleep they cannot focus properly,” Noorlander said.
Many students who get less than the recommended amount of sleep per night often struggle with their school work. The survey also revealed that 32 of 35 students have extracurricular activities after school. Many of these students have a mix of work and/or sports after school, which makes their time management skills much more crucial for academic success.
Hertz additionally shared that when she does not complete assignments before basketball practice, she tends to feel overwhelmed with the volume of work that needs to be completed when she returns home. This homework typically extends into the night when she would prefer to be sleeping.
“The buildup of work that I have to do takes so much time that I often stay up late into the night working on assignments, making me get little sleep and feeling tired the next day,” Hertz said.
The growing issue of poor time management is the most prevalent reason for teen sleep deprivation. Many students have too much on their plate and not enough time to get tasks done which results in working late into the night. Mary Beth Sessleman, school psychologist, shared her thoughts on how students can get more sleep.
“I think it’s really important for students to schedule out their evenings and plan ahead, which is a skill that is hard for teenagers, but something that is worth practicing to plan your week to be successful,” Sessleman said.
Lily Parrish, sophomore, feels that when she organizes her after school task list, she can be the most productive in the evening compared to pushing off her work into the night. Parrish exclaims that when she creates a timeline for her evening she can prioritize finishing her assignments before it gets too late.
Additionally, when Parrish implements this pre-planning technique into her daily life, she is able to go to bed earlier. This helps her to feel well rested for the next day.
“The minute I get home I am sitting down getting my homework done before it gets late. When I do my work as soon as I get home I tend to work harder knowing that I have the time to complete my assignments to the best of my abilities,” Parrish said.