As the school year progresses, students experience ebbs and flows within their sleep patterns. Various factors have affected students’ mentality and focus from late-night study sessions to early-morning practices. The connection between sleep and overall well-being aids in highlighting the academic experience students have.
Reflecting on his inconsistent sleep schedule, junior Elliot Karpin explained how academics affect his sleep duration.
“When I have an easier week of school just with less tests and less stress, I sleep better,” Karpin said. “My sleep schedule during the week is usually not as much sleep as I’d like it to be. I have a lot of work that stresses me out and I get home kind of late.”
A range of aspects can challenge students to fall asleep with stress at the forefront of concerns.
“The biggest challenges I face [in falling asleep] are thinking about school and just stress in general,” Karpin said. “Having more screen time probably distracts me and keeps me up later also.”
Junior Gabby Marsh faces similar challenges, as the school year academics begin to ramp resulting in significant sleep losses.
“Honestly, during a school week, I don’t get as much sleep as I do on the weekend,” Marsh said. “I mostly just stay up probably doing assignments or I just sometimes scroll my phone. Recently, I’ve had a lot of assignments, so I haven’t gotten as much sleep due to the fact I’ve been staying up working on it, and I have to get up early to go to the bus in the first place.”
Students experiencing loss of sleep can have difficulty in waking up and functioning efficiently the next morning.
“It is really hard [to wake up],” Marsh said. “I don’t even hear my alarm go off this morning. The fact is that I’m not getting enough sleep so my body is just not able to function that well.”
The consequences of this frequent loss of sleep can be seen in classroom performance. Performing tasks under classroom conditions and a lack of awareness results in difficulty concentrating.
“Unfortunately, my sleep has to take a back burner and I don’t like it but that’s what needs to happen,” Marsh said. ‘I sometimes fall asleep in class or [I’ve] felt myself trying to fall asleep in classes.’
While these challenges are rampant throughout the student population, forming healthy habits can be monumental in easing stress. Freshman Louise Wombolt believes in adjusting her sleep schedule to improve grades while also prioritizing well-being.
“I always try and do my priorities first like showering,” Wombolt said. “I always try to get things done. [For] tomorrow morning, it’s laid out the night before, even just an outfit for the next day.”
Another popular method of maintaining concentration is caffeine, with energy drinks and coffee becoming staples in teenage diets.
“I drink so much caffeine, but I never really noticed any negative impacts,” Wombolt said.
While some tactics are more effective than others, students continue to make efforts to achieve sufficient sleep.
“I take melatonin at night just to help me sleep faster,” Karpin said. “I’ve tried to just force myself to go to bed earlier just so I can feel better than next day.”
