Finals and winter sports are just around the corner and students are starting to feel the weight of school take over, leading to overworking themselves and lack of sleep.

  An article “Teens and Sleep” from the National Sleep Foundation (https://sleepfoundation.org/) says, “Teens need about 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night to function best. Most teens do not get enough sleep—one study found that only 15 percent reported sleeping 8 and a half hours on school nights.”

  Sleep does so much for the human brain, and without it, there is a series of disadvantages that follow.

  The National Sleep Foundation says learning, listening, problem solving, and concentration skills are just a few of the things that will be fuzzy without sleep.

  Lack of sleep can also lead to long-term health effects. An another article “Consequences of Insufficient Sleep” from HealthySleep.med says, “In the long term, chronic sleep deprivation may lead to a host of health problems including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even early mortality.”

   Walking around the halls and communicating with friends and classmates has brought to light the seriousness of the issue. Students in sports have said that they are lucky to get 4-5 hours of sleep a night. Others who have jobs said 3-4 hours.

  Having an understanding of how much pressure students are under is something that all teachers need to know. Teachers blow up at students when they fall asleep in class, but a body that is needing sleep will get it one way or another.

  Setting limits for yourself is one of the things that can help you get to sleep on time. Know when enough is enough and how much you can do in one night. I personally try to limit myself to 1-2 hours of homework a night. This means you must learn to prioritize, pick and choose what is more important. Students who work must also learn to say no to that double shift, sleep is more important than the extra money.

   Understanding how important sleep is seems to be always overlooked. Everyone must learn to understand how much students are struggling without sleep. Let go, don’t overreact, and understand.

  Now, do some good for yourself and go to bed.