What Really Makes Teens Sleepy?

[/media-credit] Is homework really a reason why students are losing sleep?

The recommended amount of sleep for a high school student is 8-10 hours a night. However, a recent study shows that only 15% of teens get 8 ½ hours of sleep on a school nights. A survey was conducted at Orem High School. Seventy-two students responded to the survey and according to the data that was collected, they are able to to get, on average, 8 hours of sleep.

Many high school students participate in extracurricular activities such as sports and music. Approximately 86% of students participate in extracurricular activities, according to the data that was collected from a survey done a Orem High. “If you ask kids to remove an activity, they would rather not. They would rather give up sleep than an activity,” said Ruthann Richter, the director of media relations for the medical school’s Office of Communication & Public Affairs.

Kenneth Jardine, a senior at Orem High, is an active participant on the high school football team. He says that his participation in extracurricular activities rarely interferes with the amount of sleep that he gets each night. However, it does sometimes interfere with his sleep schedule when he has late games or practices.

According to data that was collected from a survey done at Orem High, students spend an average of 1 hour and 45 minutes on homework a day. “Many students said their homework load led to sleep deprivation,” said Clifton B. Parker, a researcher at Stanford.

Many high school students have jobs. Students’ work schedules sometimes limit the amount of time they have to complete their homework. When asked if the amount of homework she had caused her to go to bed later, Cortnie Bills, a junior at Orem High, said, “Not usually unless I have work too.”

The amount of homework isn’t the reason students are going to bed late. It’s the fact that they have other obligations such as work or extracurriculars that take up the time they have after school causing them to stay up later to do their homework. According to a survey that was done at Orem High, 47% of students say that it is extracurriculars or work that cause them to have to go to bed later because they don’t have time until after their activities to do their homework.

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Morgan Jardine

Morgan Jardine has found a love for writing over the past few years. She has especially loved gathering data for her articles. Other than writing Morgan loves to sing and spend time with little kids.