Sleep is a prized habit — one that students often complain about not getting enough of. 

Sleep helps our minds wind down and puts our bodies to rest. The average teen needs about 7-10 hours of sleep for the most amount of productivity according to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control). 

“I make it a priority to be well rested, and if I choose not to wake up in the morning I ‘accidentally’ oversleep,” A’Maya Cook, ‘29 said.

There are five stages of a sleep cycle: wake, N1, N2, N3, and REM. The NREM (any sleep stage except REM) makes up 75% of the cycle. A whole sleep cycle is about 110-119 minutes according to the NIH (National Institute of Health). The cycle repeats itself during sleep. 

In REM (rapid eye movement) your eyes move in many directions as your eyelids are closed. REM sleep is important for building up your long-term memory.

Dreaming also happens during REM sleep, and the brain activity is similar to the brain activity when you’re awake, according to the Cleveland Clinic.  

As night approaches, when someone tries to go to bed at 10 p.m., they may not immediately be ready to fall asleep, but they still need to get up at 6 a.m. to get the recommended 8 hours of sleep. This creates a few hours of lag time difference for them. This time difference can also get worse during the weekends when people tend to stay up late. 

“They then start the day with less than the amount of sleep they needed,” Dr. Janted Hilbert from Yale Medicine said to Forbes. When a child hits adolescence, their Circadian Rhythm (Internal Clock) is also set back by 2 hours. Therefore, if a child went to bed at 9:00 pm he/she would not fall asleep until 11:00 pm.  

“Having a three-hour time difference between weekday and weekend sleep schedules is like flying from New York to California and back every weekend,” Hilbert said. 

Sleep deprivation does not allow us to think well, be happy, pay attention, get good grades or even drive safely.  A lot of teens don’t get enough sleep because they have to wake up as early as 5 a.m. to get to school on time. This can also be caused due to many extracurriculars or homework and can lead to later bedtimes, according to Nationwide Children’s.  

“I normally go to bed after 1 a.m. and I wake up around 6 a.m., which is not enough sleep, “ Corinne Adams, ‘24, said.

There are many ways to help teens get enough sleep like maintaining a sleep schedule, taking naps, and avoiding caffeine. Having a good sleep routine helps avoid many issues that might arise during the day.

“I go to bed and wake up at the same time every weekday, so my sleep schedule is fine-tuned,” Gabby Zingarelli, ‘28, said.