Today many teens go to bed late. A news article by the Global Council titled “Brain health” recommends seven to eight hours of sleep each day as a way to maintain brain health, even as one ages. 

 At what time do most students go to sleep 

    Most teenagers these days don’t get enough sleep. An article titled “The benefits of sleeping” posted on the websitefor Health Promotion states, “On average, most students get 6 hours of sleep per night due to an overload of activities.”  

   Teenagers have a lot on their plate causing them to go to sleep late. Sophomore Justine Ramos says, “During a school week I get to sleep around 12 a.m. but, on the weekends, I stay up late.”  

   Junior Stephine Garcia says, “I don’t like staying up late, but when I am required to on a school week, I go to bed at around 1 a.m.” 

    Senior Brenda Castillo says, “It’s hard to have a normal sleep schedule. Being a senior, there’s always something keeping me up as my future is right around the corner. On a normal school week, I usually go to sleep at 2 a.m.”  

   Staying up late is something not many teenagers like to do, but for senior Nicole Quintana, sometimes it’s not a option.  “I have to think about my future and sometimes it’s hard to have normal sleeping hours like I used to have when I was young.” 

 What would students change to get more sleep 

     Do you wish sometimes you had a little more sleeping time? Do you have some bad habits you do right before bed? Freshmen Jacob Boro sure does. He said, “I love watching shows right before going to bed, but the problem with that is that at first my intentions are to watch two episodes before going to bed, but I end up watching way more than I want, causing me to stay up very late. It’s a bad habit I have and messes with my sleep schedule. If I could get rid of this bad habit, I most definitely would.”  

   Do you love playing video games? Junior Joel Solvavario does.  He says, “The main reason I stay up would be because of games I love staying up late with all my friends and playing video games like Call of Duty and a few more. It always leads me to going to bed at around 3 a.m.  

  For other teenagers like Angelina Mendoza, a sophomore,  what keeps her up at night is overthinking.  Angelina says, “I start off  by going to bed, but I start thinking about a homework assignment I missed or what I want to do as a career things like that keep up at night and make it hard for me to fall asleep.” 

 How do your parents feel about your sleeping schedule  

     Not all parents worry the same about their children. Stephine Garcia’s mom worries about her daughter’s bad sleeping habits. Stephine states her mother is always telling her she needs to get rest.   

   On the other hand, Parents like Natalie Guerra don’t worry as much about their kids’ sleeping schedules. Natalie says,  “My mom is chill; she lets me stay up late. She doesn’t seem to mind it much.” 

 Something teens do that keep them up  

    An article posted by Kid’s Health titled “The importance of sleep” states,  “Teens need about 8–10 hours of sleep a night, but many don’t get it. Not getting enough sleep can make it hard to pay attention in school and at work.” 

Tips for Better Sleep 

• -Be consistent. …  
• -Make sure your bedroom is quiet, dark, relaxing, and at a comfortable temperature. 
• -Remove electronic devices, such as TVs, computers, and smart phones, from the bedroom. 
• -Avoid large meals, caffeine before bedtime. 
• –Get some exercise. 

Source: http://www.cdc.gov