At our age, it is very important that we get the 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night to perform the best. Unfortunately, most students don’t reach that goal. One study actually found that only 15% reported sleeping 8 ½ hours on school nights.

Not sleeping for enough hours can be very harmful to your body. Many students come to school drowsy, with coffee in their hands claiming that they have not got enough sleep, but what is the cause? Not getting enough sleep not only affects the way you look, feel, and function, but it causes most students to hurt their grades negatively on school tests. Teens typically stay up late on the weekends, or over the summer, which can than affect their sleeping schedules hurting their normal pattern of sleep. Besides having a lot of homework, some students participate in extra-curricular activities or have jobs after school which could be another factor into why many students are not getting the recommended hours of sleep they should be getting.

Students can start to solve this problem by making sleep a priority.  Deciding what you need to change to get more sleep throughout the day can improve your body’s function. Naps can help you pick up the pace, if they’re planned right. Just don’t take naps that are too long or too close to your recommended bedtime because it will most likely interfere with your regular sleeping pattern.

Overall, sleeping should be the biggest priority for teenagers because in order to function in school best we need our 8 to 10 hours! An improved sleeping pattern, can also improve your work habits in school.