As the academic stakes get higher and performance demands get stronger, many Columbus Academy students must decide which is more important: a healthy amount of sleep or an “A” on their tests. Time-consuming sports, activities, part-time jobs, social media, family and friend issues, and standardized testing, take away from a nourishing amount of sleep. With rigorous classes and full schedules, teenagers are required to be at their best 24/7. Lack of sleep, therefore, inhibits students from living up to the high standards set by the community and themselves.
In an early fall poll, 204 Academy of our upper school students were questioned on their sleeping patterns. The results showed that the average Columbus Academy student gets 6.1 hours of sleep each weeknight and 9.5 hours on Fridays and Saturdays. According to the NSF (National Sleep Foundation), teenagers need 9 ¼ hours of sleep to function best. At Academy, however, only 2% met this requirement, meaning almost 98% of Academy kids are running on an inadequate amount of sleep each day.
Sports and extracurricular activities also impact students’ sleeping patterns since those with nightly commitments report getting less sleep than those with no after-school activities. Though most Academy students check social media sites and text friends nightly, they report that these are merely distractions and do not directly affect the amount of sleep they receive.
Is sleep deprivation jeopardizing the Columbus Academy students’ ‘quest for the best’? The NSF warns that a lack of sleep limits a student’s ability to learn, listen, and concentrate throughout the day. “The student who revises her essay long into the night to get an A+ in English will grasp less of what’s being taught the next day in Algebra,” says Dr. Abigail Baird, a developmental psychologist specializing in neural development in adolescents. Sleep deprivation can also lead to depression, overeating, and physical illness.
With daylight savings time approaching, (November 2nd at midnight),students may wish to take advantage of this extra hour of sleep this Sunday. Exams are only 6 weeks away, and we can use every bit of sleep we can get.
Written by Annie Meacham’15 and Riley Ransom’15
