It’s a wonderfully sunny Wednesday morning.  The first bell rings, morning announcements have been made, and teachers are excited to conduct another instructional day full of exciting new lessons.

Katie Collins ‘16 gently lays her head onto her desk and tries her best to fight off slumber.

“Typically I am going to bed around 11:30-12:00. I will pull an all nighter at least once every week or two for school work”, she said.

Collins is not alone. In recent years, the plague of teenage tiredness has increased substantially. According to an article in the New York Times, less than 20% of adolescents are getting an adequate amount of sleep on school nights.

This is due to a variety of things, including staying up late to finish homework, texting friends, or catching up with their favorite shows on Netflix in the wee hours of the morning.

“On a regular day, I go to bed before 11 and fall asleep by 12. During that time I’m either finishing up some reading for a class, playing games on my new iPad, or catching up on my TV shows. I always have so much homework to do also”, said Audrey Jahns ’15.

Some of the causes behind this sleep deprivation is beyond teenagers’ control. According to the National Sleep Foundation, an adolescent’s circadian rhythms naturally make their sleep schedule later than children and adults, which puts them in conflict with school start times.

“I feel the most tired after lunch when I’m full and ready for a nap. I feel bad for teachers who have me during classes after Period Eb because I’m struggling to stay awake. These classes aren’t even boring! I’m just ready for nap time like in pre-k”, said Jahns.

Regardless the reason for being sleepy, sleep deprivation can be much more detrimental than losing a few trivial hours of beauty sleep.  Research shows that students who get less than 8 hours of sleep a night are more prone to acne, inability to concentrate, getting into arguments with family and friends due to irritability, and weight gain.

According to a 2006 poll conducted by NFS, adolescents who slept less than 8 hours a night  were more likely to say they worried about things too much (58%) and/or felt stressed out/anxious (56%) than their sleep-sufficient counterparts..

Regina girls who drive to school should especially be determined to get a sufficient amount of sleep. The National Sleep Foundation states, “a sleep deprived driver is equivalent to driving under the influence with a blood alcohol content of .08%, which is illegal for drivers in many states.” Thus, drowsy driving causes over 100,000 crashes each year.

Many high schools have recognized the magnitude of this issue and have taken it upon themselves to start their school day later.  Results of this have reaped positive effects. After the Minneapolis Public School District changed the starting times of seven high schools from 7:15 a.m. to 8:40 a.m., Kyla Wahlstrom, Ph.D., at the University of Minnesota found that students were getting more than five extra hours of sleep per week.  She also found a significant improvement in attendance and enrollment rates, increased daytime alertness, and decreased student-reported depression.

Unfortunately, it is unlikely that schools in the Chicago area will follow the Minneapolis Public School District’s lead. While starting school at a later hour may produce a happy and healthier community, it would be difficult for administrators having to manage busing schedules, coaches worrying about scheduling practices and many parents relying on the current start times for childcare or carpools.

In the meantime, it is important that Regina students work to maintain a steady sleep schedule not only on the weekdays, but during the weekend as well.

Another way to promote a healthy sleep schedule is waking up earlier. Contrary to what many students might expect, research shows that setting your alarm clock to as little as a half hour earlier could promote a more restful sleep and greater productivity.  Just imagine all the extra time you could have to eat breakfast, get to school on time,  reflect, and set goals to have a rewarding day.

Madelyn Sweeney ‘16 makes the effort to get to school early every morning.

“I wake up earlier because I like to do my homework before school and chill if I don’t have any,” said Sweeney, who makes the effort to wake up at 6:30 am.

If you are a Panther who feels the recurrent need to hibernate, sleep experts at the National Sleep Foundation advise that you “pay careful attention to your mood, energy and health after a poor night’s sleep versus a good one. Ask yourself, ‘How often do I get a good night’s sleep?’ Like good diet and exercise, sleep is a critical component to overall health. ”

Ways to promote a restful night’s sleep include:

• Find ways to relax before bedtime, such as aromatherapy, journaling, or reading a pleasant book.
• Exercise daily- expending all that extra energy through working out is highly underrated.
• Make sure your room is cool and dark, with your choice of either silence or white noise.
• Invest in a comfortable mattress and pillows.
• Limit the caffeine intake.  No Starbucks after 6!
• Turn off Instagram, Twitter, and any other social media apps on your electronics prior to bed.