Written by Amber Rivera / Staff Writer
It’s 6 a.m., the alarm is beeping, it’s still dark outside, and you moan and groan not wanting to get out of bed to start the school day because you’re just too tired.
This feeling of sleep deprivation is normal for all high school students. Those who are deprived of sleep usually consists of upperclassmen, who have to deal with harder classes, sports, clubs, activities and college applications. Others include those who stay up too late at night texting or posting on social networks.
Sleep deprivation is on the mind of most high school students because they do not get enough sleep, which results in falling asleep during class, not paying attention to the lesson and a grumpy attitude during the school day.
For students who attend Bishop Amat High School are very familiar with sleepless nights. It’s common knowledge that the farther you are from the school, the earlier you have to be out the door. But even the students who live in La Puente, where the school is located, still get a few hours a sleep a night, if they’re lucky.
“I live in La Puente and I still get maybe six hours of sleep each night,” said junior Karina Garnica.
Garnica continued explaining how she, and many other high school students in outside activities and sports, don’t get home until 6 p.m., then eat dinner and start their homework by 6:30.
Homework usually takes one to four hours each night, depending on the classes, so by the time the student finishes his or her work and gets ready to bed, it is usually 11 p.m. or later.
So what’s a solution?
“Starting school later on in the day would benefit the grades of our students,” said Mrs.Carol Moak, the guidance counselor at Bishop Amat High School. “The students would not be as tired during class, in turn, hopefully achieving higher grades.
Most high school students would say starting school even an hour later would benefit them greatly.
Studies show that sleep deprivation leads to limiting the ability to learn, listen, concentrate and solve problems. Lack of sleep may also lead to aggressive or inappropriate behavior.
This idea is appealing to students.
“Starting school later in the day would let me stay up late doing homework, but also get enough sleep to get through the day,” said sophomore Gigi Munoz.
According to the National Sleep Foundation, sleep is vital to your well-being. It can even help you to eat better and manage the stress of being a teen.
According to the foundation, teens need about nine and a quarter hours of sleep—for some, eight and a half hours is enough—each night to function best. Most teens do not get enough sleep; one study found that only 15 percent reported sleeping eight and a half hours on school nights.
The 75 percent of students who do not get enough sleep may include those who choose to stay up
late, but the majority of teenagers are forced to stay up late and wake up early due to the high demands of high school and their life outside school.
“Sometimes I choose to come to school late because I need more sleep,” said junior Mary Suehrstedt. “On those days I can focus better in my classes and I can work harder.”
