Many Students deprive themselves of sleep

As his first period class begins, junior Mitchell Woodbury already starts to rest his head on the desk. Throughout the day, he sleeps through the lectures. Anyone who has Woodbury in their classes isn’t surprised. He does this often.

“We’d be happier if we’d start (school) later.” said Stewart Jacoby, a teacher. During a meeting with the Leadership Team, Jacoby proposed an idea to start school later for the next school year. The community should decide together, teachers, parents, especially students, whether it will happen or not, he said.

Sleep is one of the most important aspects of a person’s life. After a day’s work, sleep is a natural way to repair the body and mind. On average teens should get a minimum of 9 hours of sleep.

According to a study in the Journal Adolescent Health, only 8 percent of high school students are getting the right amount of sleep. Too many students aren’t aware that lack of sleep can affect their performance in school and will also increase health issues.

One of the common reasons why students aren’t getting the right amount of rest is because they stay up doing homework. Junior Raven Ramirez has countless nights of staying up late just to finish and keep up with her homework.

“I don’t really have a set time going to bed, but I sleep at around 11.” The nights before she has her Advanced Placement classes, she stays up even later.

“Sometimes I sleep at 2 in the morning,” said Thuy Tran, a junior. “Other days, I’ve went home right after school, slept until 1 a.m., and start finishing my homework from there until school starts.”
A study on sleep deprivation among high school students, showed that students who don’t get enough of sleep, will have academic problems the next day. Even if they stayed up studying. Staying up late can also cause headaches due to added stress on the brain.

“I like that idea of starting school later,” Woodbury said. “I can actually eat breakfast.”

Many students think that the time change would be a great idea. “Time would be more flexible,” Ramirez said. “It would help a lot for AP students.” Her usual morning goes like this: she wakes up at 6, gets ready, walks to school, and arrives at around 7, so she gets to school as soon as the bell rings. “It’s a good idea.”