Few students are actually getting the recommended nine hours of sleep per night.

Sleep is a fundamental need for everyone, but teenagers are the ones seen not getting enough sleep per night.

An average teen needs approximately eight to nine hours of sleep per night for the best academic and physical performance during school hours.A 2015 study by the Journal of Child psychology and Psychiatry state “ children sleep patterns have a direct impact on their behavior and academic performance.” Sleep deprivation will affect a teens behavior and ability to retain information throughout their school day as they are not focused on the tasks at hand but rather on their lack of sleep which makes them unmotivated. Dr.Allison Baker, a child and adolescent psychiatrist, says “teens who don’t get the kind of sleep they need in order to be able to self-regulate can actually exhibit many of the same symptoms as kids with ADHD.Signs of sleepiness can include an inability to sit still, to stay on task and to focus,”Baker states. As a teen, they are figuring out who they are and they are faced with homework, part time jobs, choosing to have a social life , and things that make them happy such as sports. A teen is still developing and may not know how to juggle all their tasks and may prioritize some activities more than others and sacrifice the vital need of sleep.A 2018 study by the American Academy of Pediatrics revealed “73 percent of students are failing to make the eight to nine hours of sleep mark”.” In a random survey of 264 Morton East students via Instagram poll, 205 students reported to not get the recommended 8-9 hours of sleep per night.

“It is important that students get enough sleep to be successful in school. Learning requires the correct interaction of many different cognitive processes including planning, organization, memory, and attention. In addition, being in school challenges us socially and emotionally. If we don’t get enough sleep, it can be more difficult to interact with teachers and peers as well as regulating our emotions,” Morton East psychologist Mr. Michael Ryva said.
On the other hand, despite all the facts, teens don’t prioritize sleep as their number one worry.

“I do not get 8-9 hours of sleep per night.The reason for this is because there is so much going on in my life right now.To start off, school work, I have new assignments everyday for all my classes.it’s crazy to keep up. I also have to focus on my own thing. I have my own music group which is my form of income and I divide my attention 50/50 between music and school.I play the weekends and I finish really late at night, I have practices and events,” senior Edwin Lopez expressed.

Similarly, other Morton East students agree having difficulty with their personal lifestyle and their sleep schedule.

“Moderating proper sleep cycles is quite hard when you have a majority of AP classes, work, and a need for resting time. I could get more sleep, but then my day would be all work and no fun,” senior Flor Quiroz states.

As mentioned earlier, work seems to be a popular topic among young teens transitioning into their adulthood.

“Teens don’t get enough sleep cause teens such as myself work straight after school and come home exhausted and need to catch up on the school work from earlier in the day,” Morton East graduate Isaac Flores voiced.

Once more, we see the reoccurring pattern that these teens surveyed all face when dealing with sleep.

“My friends and I all stay up until one in the morning because during the day we are all busy doing our own thing with work and school , midnight is our time to wind down,”senior Victor Villaman explained.

Few students are actually getting the recommended nine hours of sleep per night. My investigation revealed a common topic among teens, all similarly have jobs that take up valuable hours in their day and they come home exhausted but still push themselves to get things such as schoolwork done for their next day sacrificing sleep. In the 264 students surveyed , 205 admit to not getting eight to nine hours which is 77.6 percent of students surveyed not getting the recommended hours of sleep.interviews show just that, as every teen interviewed states they have priorities and sleep does not fall as number one.