From Z’s to A’s

There I was, sitting in class, front row center, pretending to listen to my teacher’s analysis of a Marcel Proust passage. Every minute that passed felt like an hour, and with every blink, it became harder to reopen my eyes; the same could be said in my SAT tutoring sessions... I could hear my teacher speaking, but eventually the sounds became indistinguishable. I stared at her, fighting the desire to shut my fluttering eyelids, until her image was just a blur. I wanted nothing more than to lay my heavy head on the desk and sleep. I was a typical sleep-deprived teenager.

A common misconception is that kids require less sleep as they get older. In truth, as they move through their teenage years and undergo a number of physiological changes, adolescents require an increasing amount of sleep. Unfortunately, most of them aren’t getting the nine recommended hours and end up as I did—struggling to stay awake. A study conducted at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement revealed that 20% of all high school students fall asleep in school. And that’s not the worst of it. Sleep-deprived teens are prone to a laundry list of mental and physical symptoms that can have a serious impact on their academic performance. Sleep debt can lead to memory deficits, delayed responses, and a decreased ability to concentrate and be creative, not to mention irritability, anxiety and even depression. Yikes! High school is hard enough without having to deal with all of this. Solution: more sleep.

I know it’s not easy to adjust your sleep schedule, especially when you’re juggling school, homework, extracurricular activities, and a social life, but getting enough snooze time is essential to keeping your academic performance at its peak. You can’t get A’s if you don’t get your Z’s!

Here are a few suggestions from the experts on how to get the most of your slumber

• Maintain a consistent sleep schedule. Unfortunately, sleeping in on weekends does not allow you to fully recover from the sleep debt you’ve acquired throughout the week.

• Adopt a relaxing routine to unwind from the activities of your day. Try meditating or taking a hot bath.

• Avoid stimulants at bedtime that can delay the onset of sleep like violent or scary movies/books.

• Steer clear of caffeine in the afternoon and evening.

• Exercise regularly. This will energize you during the day and help you sleep at night.