‘’I already don’t sleep because of homework, chores, clubs, and sports. Why do I have to get up at 6:30 am when I’m going to bed at like 1 am?” said one student at Argo, Alexis Carlisle. 

Most students lead busy lives and school doesn’t make it easier. A lot of students must be out of their homes by 7am to catch the bus on time, then go to class until 3:00pm, then go to a club/sport for 1-3 hours, and then finally take the bus or drive home. Even when students leave school, it doesn’t mean that they are free from other things. Students must still do homework, chores, eat and take a shower.  

But that doesn’t take too long, right? 

Well, when I asked teens what time they go to bed, their answers ranged from 11pm-4am. So, that leaves them around 2-7 hours of sleep a night, assuming they wake up at 6am to catch the bus. This is extremely concerning considering that the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends teens get 8-10 hours of sleep a night. 

Schools need to change this, not only for their student’s health but for their academic ranking. Not getting enough sleep impairs functions including memory and decision making which are both crucial to academic performance.  Poor amounts of sleep can also cause conditions that would make students miss school and fall behind such as heart disease, kidney disease, strokes, and many more. All this combined makes it almost impossible for students to achieve self-actualization, which is reaching a person’s full potential.  

However, that’s only the physical aspect of being sleep deprived. There are other factors that come with lack of sleep.

“Stress – insane amounts due to test homework and grades causing less sleep. We could start later and have the same amount in the day but just start later” said Davin Ollmann, a student at Argo.  

Stress can cause less sleep and less sleep causes stress especially with the environment school creates daily. From grades, assignments, notes, and tests none of it is truly stress free, so why don’t schools reduce this stress by allowing students to sleep? 

In the article, How to Reduce Stress Hormones, it states that “your body naturally reduces the levels of cortisol and other stress hormones.” 

Extreme amounts of stress can cause poor physical health including high blood pressure and obesity which both have effects that cannot go away for someone’s whole life. Also increased stress is directly connected with low academic achievement and increased dropout rates in high school. What school would want that? 

I could go on and on about how going to bed late and waking up early is not good for anyone mentally or physically. However, all of what I said or could say in this paper has one common truth.  

Sleep is the key to success.