CFNN Reporter Ava Nelson

Have you ever pulled an all-nighter? Do you ever stay up until 2 in the morning? How much sleep are you REALLY getting? As a teenager, if you don’t get enough sleep, you run a greater risk for obesity, diabetes, injuries, poor mental health, and problems with attention and behavior.

How can your sleep schedule affect your grades and performance in school? If you don’t get enough sleep, you might often fall asleep in class or doze off. Not paying attention to your assignments or what you’re learning causes grades to slip. The amount of sleep you get, or lack of sleep, affects your memory, thinking abilities, learning abilities, emotional health, and mental health.

How can your sleep schedule affect your mental health? Sleep and your mental health are more connected than you think. Sleeping problems cause and are symptoms of poor mental health or mental health disorders. Sufficient sleep helps the brains processing emotional information

7 in 10 high school students did not get enough sleep on school nights according to CDC study and 6 out of 10 students in middle school. Teens ages 13-18 need 8- 10 hours of sleep each night. How can this improve? 

Having a consistent sleep schedule is important, limit your screen time before bed, stay off your devices for at least an hour to thirty minutes before bed, avoid meals or big meals before bed, and make sure your room is comfortable. Avoid laying in your bed when you’re on your phone or doing homework, this causes your brain to register your bed as a place for doing these things and sleeping in your bed will become more of an issue.

It can take up to 4 days to catch up on 1 hour of sleep loss. Keeping your sleep schedule consistent is very important. Do you find yourself waking up at later hours on the weekend? Maybe a few hours later than you would on a normal weekday? Sleeping super late on the weekends is bad for your sleeping schedule. Do you find waking up early for school hard every time? Is it because you’re staying up late at night, or because you’re not keeping your sleep schedule consistent? Or is it a combination of the both?

Do you think you’re going to change your sleep schedule now? Maybe waking up in the morning will make it easier for you to function on your normal daily task. As your sleep schedule is a crucial part of your life, think about making some improvements and important changes to it.