A thing that’s common among all high school students is sleep deprivation, —Especially for those involved in extracurricular activities.
Everyone involved in a sport or club knows how great it feels to be doing something beneficial to you and your school. But, they also know the feeling you get when you’re arriving home at 10:30 p.m. on a school night after an away game or an away event with the club they are involved in.
By the time students eat dinner, finish homework, do laundry, shower or do any other task they need to complete before they can finally go to sleep, it’s around midnight or later. The next day, they find themselves in a daze from not getting enough sleep. This results in students not being able to focus during class, something I’ve personally experienced.
Teens need just over nine hours of sleep each night to function best (for some, eight and a half hours is enough). Most teens do not get enough sleep; a study published in Preventive Medicine reveals that more than two-thirds of U.S. teens report they’re getting less than eight hours of sleep on school nights.
Activities directors and club organizers should try to figure out a way for students to be home by at least 9 p.m. from events. This would help students get to sleep earlier to avoid falling asleep in class. Getting more sleep would be beneficial for students, even if they don’t think so, they will be more alert and ready to learn.