Students Staying Up Late
Bobby Smith 22' Staff Writer
Wesley Ding 23' Staff Writer
Wesley Ding 23' Staff Writer
It’s no surprise that high school students stay up late at night, even on school nights. Whether it be for the purpose of doing homework or for something they enjoy, high school students seem to be trying to play the role of both the “night owl” and the “early bird.” They can stay up late at night and, with the help of an alarm clock, can also wake up as early in the morning as necessary to get ready for school.
When asked what he does when he stays up late, junior Daniel Gibson said, “Either playing video games or watching YouTube,” and when asked how he felt the next day, Gibson said, “The first time I did it, yeah I was tired but now my body is kind of used to it.” It should be noted, though, that bad sleep hygiene isn’t without its consequences, especially for teenagers. It is for this reason that there is a debate over whether or not high school should start later in the day.
One of the more negative effects of a lack of sleep is cognitive issues. According to the Healthline article “10 Things That Happen to Your Body When You Don’t Get Enough Sleep,” “In a study published by Experimental Brain Research, a group of 18 men were given a task to complete. The first task was completed following a full night’s sleep. The next task was completed after skipping a night of sleep. Brain functions including memory, decision-making, reasoning, and problem-solving worsened, along with reaction time and alertness.” Brain functions worsening would be detrimental to a student’s grades, as they would struggle to complete schoolwork. With finals coming up, the last thing a student would want is to end up having to do the finals while struggling to remember the material and make decisions, as well as having problems with solving problems. Imagine how detrimental these problems could be in college.
Other negative effects of sleep loss include increased risk of illness and being accident prone. As with cognitive issues, being accident prone would be detrimental to one’s academic life and everyday life. Imagine if one were to constantly drop items on the floor during an experiment in science class or behind the wheel of their car on the way to school while sleep-deprived and breaking various rules of the road along the way. In regards to the increased risk of illness, no student wants to get sick, especially during a pandemic, and the prospect of missing school likely won’t change that. Just because cold and flu season is done doesn’t mean that you can’t contract an illness, and sleep loss can increase the risk of that. But even with these negative effects, students still stay up late.
The costs of sleep loss outweigh whatever one may be staying up late for in regards to their health. It's more important for students to sleep well, unless staying up late is absolutely necessary. It's also important to note that high school students are still in their developmental stage, and losing too much sleep can hinder both physical and mental growth. Getting enough sleep is important for the health and in some cases, the safety of the students.
When asked what he does when he stays up late, junior Daniel Gibson said, “Either playing video games or watching YouTube,” and when asked how he felt the next day, Gibson said, “The first time I did it, yeah I was tired but now my body is kind of used to it.” It should be noted, though, that bad sleep hygiene isn’t without its consequences, especially for teenagers. It is for this reason that there is a debate over whether or not high school should start later in the day.
One of the more negative effects of a lack of sleep is cognitive issues. According to the Healthline article “10 Things That Happen to Your Body When You Don’t Get Enough Sleep,” “In a study published by Experimental Brain Research, a group of 18 men were given a task to complete. The first task was completed following a full night’s sleep. The next task was completed after skipping a night of sleep. Brain functions including memory, decision-making, reasoning, and problem-solving worsened, along with reaction time and alertness.” Brain functions worsening would be detrimental to a student’s grades, as they would struggle to complete schoolwork. With finals coming up, the last thing a student would want is to end up having to do the finals while struggling to remember the material and make decisions, as well as having problems with solving problems. Imagine how detrimental these problems could be in college.
Other negative effects of sleep loss include increased risk of illness and being accident prone. As with cognitive issues, being accident prone would be detrimental to one’s academic life and everyday life. Imagine if one were to constantly drop items on the floor during an experiment in science class or behind the wheel of their car on the way to school while sleep-deprived and breaking various rules of the road along the way. In regards to the increased risk of illness, no student wants to get sick, especially during a pandemic, and the prospect of missing school likely won’t change that. Just because cold and flu season is done doesn’t mean that you can’t contract an illness, and sleep loss can increase the risk of that. But even with these negative effects, students still stay up late.
The costs of sleep loss outweigh whatever one may be staying up late for in regards to their health. It's more important for students to sleep well, unless staying up late is absolutely necessary. It's also important to note that high school students are still in their developmental stage, and losing too much sleep can hinder both physical and mental growth. Getting enough sleep is important for the health and in some cases, the safety of the students.
