Sleep Deprivation
By Brittany Donohoo
Staff Reporter November 8, 2017 I'm sick of feeling tired every day. I don't get enough sleep and I know it. The harsh reality of the matter is that most teenagers, like me, are sleep deprived.
The average American teenager arises each and every weekday morning to attend school. They spend a total of approximately seven hours each weekday in classes, participating in extracurricular activities (excluding sports) and doing their homework. About one hour each day on the weekends is also devoted to homework. A study recently published by The American Journal of Family Therapy has said that ten minutes of homework per grade level per weeknight is more than enough. This means first graders should only perform ten minutes of homework each night, up until twelfth graders with 120 minutes of homework each night. Any student enrolled in any type of academy or academic program can tell you that that is certainly not the case. It is because of mass amounts of homework on top of extracurricular activities, that most teens only get anywhere from seven to seven and a quarter hour of sleep. Between nine and nine and a half hours of sleep are recommended; nine and a quarter hour being ideal. Lack of sleep is a factor that contributes to more than 40% of teen auto deaths occurring between the hours of nine in the evening and six in the morning. A teenager not receiving enough sleep slows down their reaction time and makes them more susceptible to being involved in a fatal crash. If you absolutely cannot change your habits or you just must finish your French homework, here are some tips to make the most of whatever sleep you get: • Take a 15 to 20-minute nap in the early afternoon immediately after you get home • Avoid any and all caffeine throughout the day and • Limit your "screen time": this means no television, cell phone interactions, listening to the radio or using the computer for at least two hours before you plan on going to bed. I do all of these things; often, I spend more time than I should doing homework every night using these things. So this I say to you: I’m so very tired and I’m tired of feeling this way. |
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