homework ruins sleep schedule

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• December 12, 2018

Teens, Sleep and Homework Survey Results

Better sleep council research finds that too much homework can actually hurt teens' performance in school.

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ALEXANDRIA, Va. , Dec. 11, 2018 – According to new research from the Better Sleep Council (BSC) – the nonprofit consumer-education arm of the International Sleep Products Association – homework, rather than social pressure, is the number one cause of teenage stress, negatively affecting their sleep and ultimately impacting their academic performance.

American teenagers said they spend 15+ hours a week on homework, and about one-third (34%) of all teens spend 20 or more hours a week. This is more than time spent at work, school clubs, social activities and sports. When asked what causes stress in their lives, about three-quarters of teens said grades/test scores (75%) and/or homework (74%) cause stress, more than self-esteem (51%), parental expectations (45%) and even bullying (15%). In fact, according to the American Psychological Association’s Stress in America™ Survey, during the school year, teenagers say they experience stress levels higher than those reported by adults.

Further, more than half (57%) of all teenagers surveyed do not feel they get enough sleep. Seventy-nine percent reported getting 7 hours of sleep or less on a typical school night, more than two-thirds (67%) say they only get 5 to 7 hours of sleep on a school night, and only about one in five teens is getting 8 hours of sleep or more. Based on the BSC’s findings, the more stressed teenagers feel, the more likely they are to get less sleep, go to bed later and wake up earlier. They are also more likely to have trouble going to sleep and staying asleep – more often than their less-stressed peers.

“We’re finding that teenagers are experiencing this cycle where they sacrifice their sleep to spend extra time on homework, which gives them more stress – but they don’t get better grades,” said Mary Helen Rogers , vice president of marketing and communications for the Better Sleep Council. “The BSC understands the impact sleep has on teenagers’ overall development, so we can help them reduce this stress through improved sleep habits.”

The BSC recommends that teens between the ages of 13-18 get 8-10 hours of sleep per night. For teens to get the sleep their bodies need for optimal school performance, they should consider the following tips:

• Establish a consistent bedtime routine . Just like they set time aside for homework, they should schedule at least 8 hours of sleep into their daily calendars. It may be challenging in the beginning, but it will help in the long run.
• Keep it quiet in the bedroom.  It’s easier to sleep when there isn’t extra noise. Teens may even want to wear earplugs if their home is too noisy.
• Create a relaxing sleep environment. Make sure the bedroom is clutter-free, dark and conducive to great sleep. A cool bedroom, between 65 and 67 degrees , is ideal to help teens sleep.
• Cut back on screen time. Try cutting off screen time at least an hour before bed. The blue light emitted from electronics’ screens disturbs sleep.
• Examine their mattress. Since a mattress is an important component of a good night’s sleep, consider replacing it if it isn’t providing comfort and support, or hasn’t been changed in at least seven years.

Other takeaways on the relationship between homework, stress and sleep in teenagers include:

• Teens who feel more stress (89%) are more likely than less-stressed teens (65%) to say homework causes them stress in their lives.
• More than three-quarters (76%) of teens who feel more stress say they don’t feel they get enough sleep – which is significantly higher than teens who are not stressed, since only 42% of them feel they don’t get enough sleep.
• Teens who feel more stress (51%) are more likely than less-stressed teens (35%) to get to bed at 11 p.m. or later. Among these teens who are going to bed later, about 33% of them said they are waking up at 6:00 a.m. or earlier.
• Students who go to bed earlier and awaken earlier perform better academically than those who stay up late – even to do homework.

About the BSC The Better Sleep Council is the consumer-education arm of the International Sleep Products Association, the trade association for the mattress industry. With decades invested in improving sleep quality, the BSC educates consumers on the link between sleep and health, and the role of the sleep environment, primarily through www.bettersleep.org , partner support and consumer outreach.

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Associations of time spent on homework or studying with nocturnal sleep behavior and depression symptoms in adolescents from Singapore

• Sing Chen Yeo, MSc Sing Chen Yeo Affiliations Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Program in Neuroscience and Behavioral Disorders, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore Search for articles by this author
• Jacinda Tan, BSc Jacinda Tan Affiliations Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Program in Neuroscience and Behavioral Disorders, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore Search for articles by this author
• Joshua J. Gooley, PhD Joshua J. Gooley Correspondence Corresponding author: Joshua J. Gooley, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Neuroscience and Behavioral Disorders Program, Duke-NUS Medical School Singapore, 8 College Road, Singapore 117549, Singapore Contact Affiliations Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Program in Neuroscience and Behavioral Disorders, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore Search for articles by this author

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Better Sleep Council Research Finds That Too Much Homework Can Actually Hurt Teens’ Performance In School

Dec 19, 2018 | Age | 0 |

According to new research from the Better Sleep Council (BSC)—the nonprofit consumer-education arm of the International Sleep Products Association—homework, rather than social pressure, is the number-one cause of teenage stress, negatively affecting their sleep and ultimately impacting their academic performance.

American teenagers said they spend 15+ hours a week on homework, and about one-third (34%) of all teens spend 20 or more hours a week. This is more than time spent at work, school clubs, social activities, and sports. When asked what causes stress in their lives, about three-quarters of teens said grades/test scores (75%) and/or homework (74%) cause stress, more than self-esteem (51%), parental expectations (45%) and even bullying (15%).

Further, more than half (57%) of all teenagers surveyed do not feel they get enough sleep. Seventy-nine percent reported getting 7 hours of sleep or less on a typical school night, more than two-thirds (67%) say they only get 5 to 7 hours of sleep on a school night, and only about one in five teens is getting 8 hours of sleep or more. Based on the BSC’s findings, the more stressed teenagers feel, the more likely they are to get less sleep, go to bed later, and wake up earlier. They are also more likely to have trouble going to sleep and staying asleep—more often than their less-stressed peers.

“We’re finding that teenagers are experiencing this cycle where they sacrifice their sleep to spend extra time on homework, which gives them more stress—but they don’t get better grades,” says Mary Helen Rogers, vice president of marketing and communications for the Better Sleep Council, in a release. “The BSC understands the impact sleep has on teenagers’ overall development, so we can help them reduce this stress through improved sleep habits.”

The BSC recommends that teens between the ages of 13-18 get 8-10 hours of sleep per night. For teens to get the sleep their bodies need for optimal school performance, they should consider the following tips:

• Establish a consistent bedtime routine. Just like they set time aside for homework, they should schedule at least 8 hours of sleep into their daily calendars. It may be challenging in the beginning, but it will help in the long run.
• Keep it quiet in the bedroom. It’s easier to sleep when there isn’t extra noise. Teens may even want to wear earplugs if their home is too noisy.
• Create a relaxing sleep environment. Make sure the bedroom is clutter-free, dark and conducive to great sleep. A cool bedroom, between 65 and 67 degrees, is ideal to help teens sleep.
• Cut back on screen time. Try cutting off screen time at least an hour before bed. The blue light emitted from electronics’ screens disturbs sleep.
• Examine their mattress. Since a mattress is an important component of a good night’s sleep, consider replacing it if it isn’t providing comfort and support, or hasn’t been changed in at least seven years.

Other takeaways on the relationship between homework, stress and sleep in teenagers include:

• Teens who feel more stress (89%) are more likely than less-stressed teens (65%) to say homework causes them stress in their lives.
• More than three-quarters (76%) of teens who feel more stress say they don’t feel they get enough sleep—which is significantly higher than teens who are not stressed, since only 42% of them feel they don’t get enough sleep.
• Teens who feel more stress (51%) are more likely than less-stressed teens (35%) to get to bed at 11 p.m. or later. Among these teens who are going to bed later, about 33% of them said they are waking up at 6 am or earlier.
• Students who go to bed earlier and awaken earlier perform better academically than those who stay up late—even to do homework.

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The Effects Homework Can Have On Teens’ Sleeping Habits

Jess Amabile '24 and February 25, 2021

Ever wonder why you feel like you never get enough sleep? Here’s a pretty good reason: large amounts of homework can be detrimental to a teen’s sleeping habits, even more so with high schoolers.

There have been many studies recently about the damage homework has to students’ health, mainly concerning lack of sleep in teenagers.  According to an article published by US News called “The Importance of Sleep for Teen Mental Health” , it states that “ surveys show that less than 9 percent of teens get enough sleep”.  This fact is devastating, especially considering the fact that teenagers take up about thirteen percent of the country’s population.  

Also mentioned in “The Importance of Sleep for Teen Mental Health” , “ about forty-one million Americans get six or fewer hours of sleep per night”.  If teenagers see their parents not getting enough sleep, it can convince them that there are things more important than sleep, such as something almost every teenager in America has to deal with–homework.

Homework is pretty stressful for teens, especially if they have other things to do.  Many teens have long hours at school, which limits the time for them to do their insane amount of homework, attend extra-curricular activities, eat, do whatever they need to around the house, and sleep.  And usually, sleeping is the last thing on the list of things to do before school the next day. Another article, “What’s preventing adequate teen sleep” , states that, “Homework is possibly the biggest factor that keeps teens from getting enough sleep…The sheer quantity of homework absorbs hours that should be dedicated to sleep”.  Students generally have so much homework that they don’t have enough time to do everything else they need to do that day.  So, sleeping is often the first thing teens eliminate from their schedule.  

According to Oxford Learning , homework can have other negative effects on students. In their article, Oxford Learning remarks, “56 percent of students considered homework a primary source of stress. Too much homework can result in lack of sleep, headaches, exhaustion, and weight loss”. 

 Similarly, Stanford Medicine News Center reports that the founder of the Stanford Sleep Disorders Clinic stated, “‘I think high school is the real danger spot in terms of sleep deprivation,’ said William Dement, MD, Ph.D.”.  Sleep deprivation is a real problem for high school students, and Stanford Medicine News Center continues on this topic by commenting, “Sleep deprivation increases the likelihood teens will suffer myriad negative consequences, including an inability to concentrate, poor grades, drowsy-driving incidents, anxiety, depression, thoughts of suicide and even suicide attempts. It’s a problem that knows no economic boundaries”. If students are constantly battling sleep deprivation, how can they concentrate on schoolwork, or even be able to perform everyday tasks?  This shows that homework greatly affects students in both mental and physical ways. If something is supposed to continue a lesson that was learned in school, why is it negatively affecting students’ lives?

Ask yourself: is homework really worth the extremely negative effects?

“What’s preventing adequate teen sleep”

http://sleepeducation.org/news/2017/07/26/what-is-preventing-adequate-teen-sleep

“The Importance of Sleep for Teen Mental Health”

https://health.usnews.com/health-care/for-better/articles/2018-07-02/the-importance-of-sleep-for-teen-mental-health

Oxford Learning

https://www.oxfordlearning.com/how-does-homework-affect-students/#:~:text=How%20Does%20Homework%20Affect%20Students,headaches%2C%20exhaustion%20and%20weight%20loss.

Stanford Medicine News Center

https://med.stanford.edu/news.html

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More than two hours of homework may be counterproductive, research suggests.

A Stanford education researcher found that too much homework can negatively affect kids, especially their lives away from school, where family, friends and activities matter.   "Our findings on the effects of homework challenge the traditional assumption that homework is inherently good," wrote Denise Pope , a senior lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Education and a co-author of a study published in the Journal of Experimental Education .   The researchers used survey data to examine perceptions about homework, student well-being and behavioral engagement in a sample of 4,317 students from 10 high-performing high schools in upper-middle-class California communities. Along with the survey data, Pope and her colleagues used open-ended answers to explore the students' views on homework.   Median household income exceeded $90,000 in these communities, and 93 percent of the students went on to college, either two-year or four-year.   Students in these schools average about 3.1 hours of homework each night.   "The findings address how current homework practices in privileged, high-performing schools sustain students' advantage in competitive climates yet hinder learning, full engagement and well-being," Pope wrote.   Pope and her colleagues found that too much homework can diminish its effectiveness and even be counterproductive. They cite prior research indicating that homework benefits plateau at about two hours per night, and that 90 minutes to two and a half hours is optimal for high school.   Their study found that too much homework is associated with:   • Greater stress : 56 percent of the students considered homework a primary source of stress, according to the survey data. Forty-three percent viewed tests as a primary stressor, while 33 percent put the pressure to get good grades in that category. Less than 1 percent of the students said homework was not a stressor.   • Reductions in health : In their open-ended answers, many students said their homework load led to sleep deprivation and other health problems. The researchers asked students whether they experienced health issues such as headaches, exhaustion, sleep deprivation, weight loss and stomach problems.   • Less time for friends, family and extracurricular pursuits : Both the survey data and student responses indicate that spending too much time on homework meant that students were "not meeting their developmental needs or cultivating other critical life skills," according to the researchers. Students were more likely to drop activities, not see friends or family, and not pursue hobbies they enjoy.   A balancing act   The results offer empirical evidence that many students struggle to find balance between homework, extracurricular activities and social time, the researchers said. Many students felt forced or obligated to choose homework over developing other talents or skills.   Also, there was no relationship between the time spent on homework and how much the student enjoyed it. The research quoted students as saying they often do homework they see as "pointless" or "mindless" in order to keep their grades up.   "This kind of busy work, by its very nature, discourages learning and instead promotes doing homework simply to get points," said Pope, who is also a co-founder of Challenge Success , a nonprofit organization affiliated with the GSE that conducts research and works with schools and parents to improve students' educational experiences..   Pope said the research calls into question the value of assigning large amounts of homework in high-performing schools. Homework should not be simply assigned as a routine practice, she said.   "Rather, any homework assigned should have a purpose and benefit, and it should be designed to cultivate learning and development," wrote Pope.   High-performing paradox   In places where students attend high-performing schools, too much homework can reduce their time to foster skills in the area of personal responsibility, the researchers concluded. "Young people are spending more time alone," they wrote, "which means less time for family and fewer opportunities to engage in their communities."   Student perspectives   The researchers say that while their open-ended or "self-reporting" methodology to gauge student concerns about homework may have limitations – some might regard it as an opportunity for "typical adolescent complaining" – it was important to learn firsthand what the students believe.   The paper was co-authored by Mollie Galloway from Lewis and Clark College and Jerusha Conner from Villanova University.

Clifton B. Parker is a writer at the Stanford News Service .

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How Does Homework Affect Students Sleep?

Published: June 21st, 2023

Exploring how homework affects students' sleep is an essential part of understanding the overall health and academic performance of our youth. The correlation between heavy workload from assignments and sleep deprivation has been a subject of multiple studies, with compelling findings.

Understanding the correlation between homework and teenage stress

Exploring the impact on quality sleep due to excessive homework, how late-night study impacts the circadian rhythm, the link between disturbed sleep patterns and academic performance, unpacking research findings linking heavy homework load with mental health issues, implications for future educational policies regarding home-based tasks, evaluating pros & cons related to assigning extensive workloads at elementary levels, suggesting alternatives for effective learning without compromising children's wellbeing, alfie kohn's perspective on education system practices, proposing changes toward balanced school schedules, assessing potential benefits shifting school start times based upon nsf recommendations, effective time management strategies, the impact of sleep deprivation on students, does homework affect sleep schedules, what percentage of students lose sleep due to homework, why does school cause sleep deprivation, why is sleep more important than homework.

This blog post delves into the impact that excessive homework can have on high school students' quality sleep, and how it might disrupt their natural circadian rhythm or sleep cycle. We will also explore its implications on mental health issues among younger kids who are often encouraged to go to bed earlier but struggle due to late-night study sessions.

The role of American education system practices in contributing to student's lack of adequate rest will be examined along with Alfie Kohn’s perspective about current education policies. Additionally, we'll discuss early school start times as another potential burden leading towards disturbed sleeping patterns.

Finally, we aim at proposing some changes for more balanced school schedules and providing tips for effectively managing time amidst academic responsibilities and extracurricular activities without being sleep deprived.

The Impact of Homework on Teenage Stress and Sleep

Homework is a major source of stress for teenagers, affecting their sleep patterns. According to studies, about 75% of high school students report grades and homework as significant stressors. This anxiety can lead to sleep deprivation, with over 50% of students reporting insufficient rest.

A heavy workload not only affects academic performance but also disrupts the normal sleep cycle. The pressure to excel academically leads many students into a vicious cycle where they stay up late completing tasks, wake up early for school, and end up being sleep deprived.

This lack of rest impairs cognitive functions like memory retention and problem-solving skills - both crucial for academic success. Furthermore, inadequate sleep may lead to ailments such as reduced immunity or persistent tiredness.

Sleep experts recommend that younger kids should go to bed earlier than teens because their biological clock naturally prompts them to feel sleepy around 8-9 PM. However, this becomes challenging when burdened with loads of assignments which extend their screen time significantly beyond recommended limits.

The blue light emitted by electronic devices used for studying suppresses melatonin production - a hormone that regulates our body's internal clock determining when we feel sleepy or awake (National Sleep Foundation). Consequently, these factors combined make falling asleep more difficult leading towards disrupted sleeping patterns ultimately affecting overall well-being including mental health status alongside academic performance negatively.

In conclusion, there needs to be an urgent reevaluation of how much work is assigned outside class hours considering potential adverse effects upon student's health, especially concerning adequate rest necessary for optimal functioning throughout day-to-day activities, whether within academia or other extracurricular responsibilities undertaken during leisure periods post-school schedules.

Analyzing Sleep Patterns Among Stressed Students

High schoolers are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of sleep deprivation due to the demands of juggling academics and extracurriculars. The pressure of balancing academics with extracurricular activities can lead to late nights and early mornings, leaving them feeling perpetually tired and impacting their academic performance.

The human body operates on a 24-hour internal clock known as the circadian rhythm. This biological process regulates our sleep-wake cycle, among other things. When students stay up late studying or completing homework, they disrupt this natural rhythm which can result in a range of health issues including chronic fatigue and weakened immunity.

Screen time is another factor that exacerbates this issue. Many students use electronic devices for research or writing assignments before bed, exposing themselves to blue light which further interferes with their circadian rhythms.

Regular slumber is a must for cognitive functions, such as memory consolidation and problem-solving aptitude - fundamental aspects of learning. Multiple studies have shown that when these patterns are disturbed due to excessive homework or late-night study sessions, it can negatively affect academic performance.

• Poor Concentration: Lack of adequate rest makes focusing on tasks more difficult, leading to decreased productivity during study hours.
• Inability To Retain Information: During deep stages of sleep, information from short-term memory gets transferred into long-term storage enabling better recall later; deprived individuals miss out on this critical process.
• Deteriorating Mental Health: Chronic lack of rest has been linked with increased levels of anxiety and depression amongst teenagers, impacting overall wellbeing and indirectly affecting grades too.

A report by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) suggests there's an urgent need for schools to address these concerns seriously, considering the potential repercussions over students' physical and mental health alongside scholastic achievements. Making sure they get enough quality rest each night is essential for optimal functioning throughout the day, both inside and outside the classroom environments.

Investigating Time Spent on Homework and Its Effects on Mental Health

The amount of time spent on homework and studying significantly affects students' mental health. Multiple studies have shown that an excessive workload can lead to depression, stress, and sleep deprivation .

A comprehensive study involving 2386 adolescents assessed various aspects, including self-rated health, overweight status, and depression symptoms, alongside time spent on homework/studying. The researchers used ten different multiple linear regression models to test the association with the global Kutcher Adolescent Depression Scale score. This approach allowed them to analyze how each aspect correlates with the others.

The results were revealing: there was a clear correlation between increased hours dedicated to home-based tasks and higher levels of depressive tendencies among high school students . These effects weren't limited only to academic performance but extended into their personal lives as well, affecting relationships, participation rates in extracurricular activities , and more.

This data suggests that we need a more balanced approach when it comes to assigning workloads at schools. Instead of piling up assignments indiscriminately, educators should aim for an optimal balance where learning is enhanced rather than hindered by excessive amounts of homework.

In light of this information, some countries are already taking steps towards reducing screen time requirements, especially during after-school hours. This allows younger kids to go to bed earlier, improving their sleep cycle quality significantly, which ultimately leads to better cognitive functioning the next day at school or other engagements they might have outside the academic context, like part-time jobs or family duties.

To sum up, a healthy balance between academic and other life obligations is essential to avoid potential repercussions in all aspects of a student's life. Neglecting to strike a balance between academic and other responsibilities can have severe repercussions, not only in terms of grades but also emotionally, socially, and mentally. Therefore, it is imperative to address this issue promptly and effectively with all stakeholders involved in the education sector worldwide today, tomorrow, and onwards too.

Excessive Workload Strain from Assignments in Younger Kids

The ongoing discussion about the implications of homework for younger students has drawn attention from educators, parents, and researchers. While assignments can reinforce what students learn during school hours, evidence supporting benefits from home-based tasks remains scarce before high-school levels. This is concerning considering the potential adverse effects an excessive workload can have on young minds.

On one hand, homework can instill discipline and help develop good study habits. On the other hand, too much of it could lead to sleep deprivation among younger kids who should ideally be going to bed earlier. The AAP suggests that 6-12 year olds should have 9-12 hours of rest, however this can be hard to attain when they are inundated with assignments.

Besides affecting their sleep cycle, overburdening them with academic responsibilities also leaves little room for extracurricular activities which play a crucial role in their overall development. It may even result in screen time replacing physical activity as children turn towards digital platforms to complete their assignments.

Rather than piling up work indiscriminately, schools could consider adopting strategies aimed at enhancing learning while ensuring the well-being of students. For instance, project-based learning could be an effective alternative where students actively explore real-world problems and challenges, thereby gaining deeper knowledge.

In addition to this approach would be limiting daily homework duration per grade level or introducing "homework-free" days during weekends or holidays providing ample rest periods essential for growth development amongst younger kids.

This shift not only ensures that our future generations aren't sleep deprived due to unnecessary academic pressure but also fosters a love for lifelong learning - something far more valuable than mere grades obtained through rote memorization.

American Education's Role In Student Sleep Deprivation

It's common for students in the US to be sleep deprived , not just because of academic pressures but also due to extracurricular activities . Late nights and early mornings disrupt a healthy sleep cycle , affecting student wellbeing.

Educational critic Alfie Kohn argues that the American education system emphasizes homework without considering its impact on student wellbeing. Many tasks assigned do not enhance learning but rather contribute towards stress and sleep deprivation among students. You can read more about his thoughts in his article titled " The Truth About Homework: Needless Assignments Persist Because of Widespread Misconceptions About Learning. "

Kohn suggests a shift towards assigning work aimed at enhancing learning rather than piling it up indiscriminately. Schools should recognize the importance of adequate rest for optimal functioning.

• Reduce homework loads: Lightening the load could help alleviate some of the pressure students feel, allowing them time to relax and get enough sleep each night.
• Consider late start times: Multiple studies suggest that starting school later in the morning could have numerous benefits including improved attendance rates and higher alertness, reducing instances of depressive tendencies significantly. (National Sleep Foundation (NSF))
• Promote good sleep hygiene: Schools can educate students about good sleep habits such as maintaining consistent bedtimes and wake-up times, limiting screen time before bedtime, and creating quiet, dark sleeping environments.

The key takeaway here is balance - between academics, extracurricular activities, family responsibilities, and personal downtime - which includes getting sufficient restful sleep every night.

Early School Start Times - An Additional Burden

Many adolescents in the US are finding that having to get up at sunrise is more of an encumbrance than a blessing. Parents and educators alike have reported that these early start times are inhibiting productivity throughout daytime schedules.

The National Sleep Foundation (NSF), an organization dedicated to improving health and well-being through sleep education and advocacy, suggests shifting school timings as one possible solution. This adjustment could result in improved attendance rates along with higher alertness among students during class hours.

The NSF study indicated that adjusting the school start time from 7:30 AM to 8:30 AM produced tangible improvements in student performance. The extra hour allowed teenagers' natural sleep cycle to align better with their academic schedule leading them to feel less sleep deprived.

• Better Attendance: Schools noted fewer tardies and absences after implementing later start times.
• Increase In Grades: Students showed improvement in core subjects like Math and English.
• Mental Health Benefits: A decrease was observed in instances of depressive tendencies significantly among students.

This shift not only helped improve academic outcomes but also had positive effects on mental health as teens were able to get adequate rest without having to sacrifice extracurricular activities or family duties.

The idea of starting schools later isn't new; however, its implementation has been slow due largely because changing such ingrained societal norms takes time. But if we want our younger kids performing optimally while avoiding unnecessary strain caused by excessive workload or screen time then we need to rethink how we structure our day-to-day lives. Research has demonstrated that inadequate rest can detrimentally affect our health and wellness, so it is essential to ensure we are getting enough sleep by retiring earlier and limiting screen time before bed.

Balancing Academic Responsibilities With Other Duties

As a student, you're expected to juggle academic responsibilities with other duties. Yet, it can be a challenge to effectively manage such a hectic schedule. Homework alone can take up to four hours a day, and that's not counting extracurricular activities or part-time jobs. So, how can you manage your time effectively amidst these multifarious responsibilities?

The key to managing your diverse obligations lies in effective time management strategies . Here are some tips that could help:

• Prioritize tasks: Not all assignments are created equal. Some require more effort and attention than others. Prioritizing your work can help you focus on what's most important first.
• Create a schedule: Having a set routine for studying can make it easier to stick to your commitments and avoid procrastination.
• Leverage technology: There are numerous apps available designed specifically for helping students manage their workload efficiently.
• Avoid multitasking: Multitasking often leads to mistakes and decreased productivity. Rather than attempting to juggle multiple tasks, give your full attention to one task until it is finished before progressing onto the next.

Sleep deprivation among high school students is a serious issue that needs urgent addressing. Multiple studies reveal that the majority of teenagers receive only six to eight hours of sleep per night despite needing more for optimal functioning. This lack of sleep not only affects academic performance but also overall health and wellbeing.

In addition, extracurricular activities and screen time can also affect younger kids' sleep cycle. The American education system has been criticized for promoting this unhealthy trend by assigning excessive amounts of homework without considering individual capacities or needs.

To combat this problem, parents need support from schools in ensuring children go to bed earlier while limiting their exposure to electronic devices during evening hours. This can significantly improve the quality of rest received each night, reducing instances of depressive tendencies associated with inadequate slumber patterns amongst adolescents today.

FAQs in Relation to How Does Homework Affect Students Sleep

Yes, excessive homework can lead to late-night studying, causing students to have inadequate sleep.

Around 56% of students reported losing sleep over schoolwork according to a Stanford study .

Schools may contribute to students' sleep deprivation through early start times and heavy academic loads.

Sleep is crucial for cognitive functions , including memory consolidation which aids in learning; overworking could hinder these processes.

Is Homework Ruining Your Sleep?

Excessive homework can negatively impact students' mental and physical health, leading to stress and lack of sleep.

Teachers can help by coordinating assignment deadlines and exploring alternatives like home-based tasks for younger children.

It's important for educators to recognize the effects of heavy academic loads on student productivity and well-being.

According to a study by the National Sleep Foundation, teenagers need 8-10 hours of sleep per night to function at their best.

Don't let homework rob you of your Z's - prioritize your health and well-being!

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Sacrificing Sleep For Study Time Doesn’t Make the Grade

Help your teen academically by promoting sleep..

Posted September 6, 2012

It’s back to school season, with students (and parents) saying goodbye to the freewheeling days of summer and returning to the structure of the academic year. The school routine typically includes early mornings and, often, late nights of homework and studying.

For students, there is increasing pressure to perform well academically, especially as they enter high school and college is on the horizon. Academic workloads increase, and so do time commitments to other extracurricular activities, including sports. It can be a real challenge to find enough time for all of this activity, and it’s not hard to see how bedtime gets pushed back later and later, to make room for studying.

It might seem like a reasonable sacrifice to give up a little sleep to hit the books late into the night, but new research says this strategy doesn’t work. This study found that students who stay up late doing homework are more likely to have academic problems the next day. This is true regardless of how much overall studying the student does, according to the study results.

Researchers at UCLA examined the daily sleep and study habits of 535 students in grades 9, 10, and 12. All the students were enrolled in Los Angeles schools, and represented a range of socioeconomic and ethnic groups. For two weeks, students kept diaries recording their daily study amounts and sleep amounts. They also kept track of two different types of academic problems:

Having trouble understanding material being taught in class

Doing poorly on tests, quizzes, or homework assignments

Researchers found that opting to delay bedtime in favor of studying was linked to an increased risk of both types of academic difficulty. And this was true regardless of the total amount of students’ study time.

The remedy to this problem is not to study less, but rather to create a schedule that allows for sufficient study time and sufficient sleep time. Is that easier said than done? Probably. But as these results indicate, extra study time at the expense of sleep is like to create academic problems, not solve them. And students who regularly stay up late are exposed to other risks of low sleep. Here’s some of what we know about how insufficient sleep can negatively affect teens:

Teens who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to engage in risky and unhealthful behaviors. This study found low sleep linked to increased likelihood of smoking , drinking, drug use, and fighting, among other risky behaviors.

Teens who sleep less are more likely to gain weight. We know that low sleep is associated with weight gain, in children as well as adults. This study found that teens who sleep less are more likely to consume more total calories in a day, as well as to eat higher fat foods and more snack foods than teens who get enough sleep.

Teens who are short on sleep are more likely to feel depressed and anxious. There’s substantial evidence that teens with sleep problems are at higher risk for mental health and behavioral problems. This National Sleep Foundation survey found that teens short on sleep were significantly more likely to experience depression , stress , excessive worrying, and anxiety .

Teenagers , as any parent knows, are predisposed to staying up late and sleeping late, which complicates things even further. This is a biological reality, not just a teenage preference! It’s not always easy to manage a teenager’s sleep schedule. Here are some strategies that can help:

Keep technology out of the bedroom. Electronic and digital devices have no place in the bedroom. Exposure to the light emitted by these devices is disruptive to sleep, and their presence at bedtime can keep teens awake—or even keep them engaged in activity while they are asleep!

Work backward to find the right bedtime. Teens need more sleep than adults, about 9 hours per night. To find the appropriate bedtime, start by identifying what time your teen needs to be rising from bed. From there, work backward to set the bedtime that will ensure your teenager gets enough rest.

Let them sleep in a little on the weekends—just not a lot. With biological and hormonal changes making teens inclined to sleep later, after a week of school your teenager may want to spend most of Saturday in bed. This much sleep isn’t healthy, and will actually make your teen feel more tired, not less. Such a variation from the weekday routine will throw your teen’s schedule off course. This doesn’t mean a little sleeping in isn’t okay. Letting your teenager sleep for an extra hour or two on weekend mornings is fine.

We all want our kids to study hard and achieve academic success. It’s important to remember that sleep is a critical part of the equation.

Sweet Dreams ,

Michael J. Breus, PhD

The Sleep Doctor™

www.thesleepdoctor.com

Michael J. Breus, Ph.D. , is a clinical psychologist and a diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine. He is the author of Beauty Sleep.

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Homework, Sleep, and the Student Brain

At some point, every parent wishes their high school aged student would go to bed earlier as well as find time to pursue their own passions -- or maybe even choose to relax. This thought reemerged as I reread Anna Quindlen's commencement speech, A Short Guide to a Happy Life. The central message of this address, never actually stated, was: "Get a life."

But what prevents students from "getting a life," especially between September and June? One answer is homework.

Favorable Working Conditions

As a history teacher at St. Andrew's Episcopal School and director of the Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning , I want to be clear that I both give and support the idea of homework. But homework, whether good or bad, takes time and often cuts into each student's sleep, family dinner, or freedom to follow passions outside of school. For too many students, homework is too often about compliance and "not losing points" rather than about learning.

Most schools have a philosophy about homework that is challenged by each parent's experience doing homework "back in the day." Parents' common misconception is that the teachers and schools giving more homework are more challenging and therefore better teachers and schools. This is a false assumption. The amount of homework your son or daughter does each night should not be a source of pride for the quality of a school. In fact, I would suggest a different metric when evaluating your child's homework. Are you able to stay up with your son or daughter until he or she finishes those assignments? If the answer is no, then too much homework is being assigned, and you both need more of the sleep that, according to Daniel T. Willingham , is crucial to memory consolidation.

I have often joked with my students, while teaching the Progressive Movement and rise of unions between the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, that they should consider striking because of how schools violate child labor laws. If school is each student's "job," then students are working hours usually assigned to Washington, DC lawyers (combing the hours of the school day, school-sponsored activities, and homework). This would certainly be a risky strategy for changing how schools and teachers think about homework, but it certainly would gain attention. (If any of my students are reading this, don't try it!)

So how can we change things?

The Scientific Approach

In the study "What Great Homework Looks Like" from the journal Think Differently and Deeply , which connects research in how the brain learns to the instructional practice of teachers, we see moderate advantages of no more than two hours of homework for high school students. For younger students, the correlation is even smaller. Homework does teach other important, non-cognitive skills such as time management, sustained attention, and rule following, but let us not mask that as learning the content and skills that most assignments are supposed to teach.

Homework can be a powerful learning tool -- if designed and assigned correctly. I say "learning," because good homework should be an independent moment for each student or groups of students through virtual collaboration. It should be challenging and engaging enough to allow for deliberate practice of essential content and skills, but not so hard that parents are asked to recall what they learned in high school. All that usually leads to is family stress.

But even when good homework is assigned, it is the student's approach that is critical. A scientific approach to tackling their homework can actually lead to deepened learning in less time. The biggest contributor to the length of a student's homework is task switching. Too often, students jump between their work on an assignment and the lure of social media. But I have found it hard to convince students of the cost associated with such task switching. Imagine a student writing an essay for AP English class or completing math proofs for their honors geometry class. In the middle of the work, their phone announces a new text message. This is a moment of truth for the student. Should they address that text before or after they finish their assignment?

Delayed Gratification

When a student chooses to check their text, respond and then possibly take an extended dive into social media, they lose a percentage of the learning that has already happened. As a result, when they return to the AP essay or honors geometry proof, they need to retrace their learning in order to catch up to where they were. This jump, between homework and social media, is actually extending the time a student spends on an assignment. My colleagues and I coach our students to see social media as a reward for finishing an assignment. Delaying gratification is an important non-cognitive skill and one that research has shown enhances life outcomes (see the Stanford Marshmallow Test ).

At my school, the goal is to reduce the barriers for each student to meet his or her peak potential without lowering the bar. Good, purposeful homework should be part of any student's learning journey. But it takes teachers to design better homework (which can include no homework at all on some nights), parents to not see hours of homework as a measure of school quality, and students to reflect on their current homework strategies while applying new, research-backed ones. Together, we can all get more sleep -- and that, research shows, is very good for all of our brains and for each student's learning.

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High School Daze: The Perils Of Sacrificing Sleep For Late-Night Studying

Allison Aubrey

It may not be the best strategy to stay up late and cram. A new study finds that when teens don't get the sleep they need, all kinds of things can go poorly. iStockphoto.com hide caption

It may not be the best strategy to stay up late and cram. A new study finds that when teens don't get the sleep they need, all kinds of things can go poorly.

High school students with heavy academic course loads often find the demands of homework colliding with the need for adequate sleep. And a new study published in the journal C hild Development finds that when teens don't get the sleep they need on a given night, the next day all kinds of things can go poorly.

"What we learned is that when kids cram, particularly at the expense of sleep, the next day they're more likely to have academic problems even though they spent more time studying that night," explains researcher Andrew Fuligni of UCLA.

"These findings may come as a surprise to many researchers, educators, parents and teens who assume that more studying will surely lead to better grades," says Amy Wolfson , a professor of psychology at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass.

The study builds on a body of evidence that finds sleep and learning are inextricably linked.

"Lots of things happen during sleep," explains Helene Emsellem , director of The Center for Sleep and Wake Disorders in Chevy Chase, Md. "We don't just physically restore ourselves." We also process all the information we've gathered during the day. "We take the information and organize it and make all the connections," Emsellem explains. Without adequate sleep, students don't learn as well.

Maybe this explains why rising 12th-grader Patrick Ottolini from suburban Washington, D.C., has realized it's not always the best strategy to stay up late and cram.

"If it's, like, a big test, it's not going to work at all," he says.

Instead of sacrificing sleep, he says, he has learned it's best to try to pace himself and find regular chunks of time each day to study. His classmate David LoBosco says he has another strategy that works for him: When it comes to prepping the night before a quiz, he finds it better to get some sleep and set the alarm.

"You know, wake up early in the morning and study," he says.

The most helpful advice Emsellem gives families? "Have a lights-out time in the house," she says.

Emsellem has outlined strategies for success in the book Snooze or Lose . This can be helpful for teens — and their parents.

Wolfson says one caution about the new study is that the data are entirely self-reported rather than drawn from report cards or teacher reports. But she says it's important research that adds to our "need to remind school districts to think seriously about school start times, homework policies and the need to teach study skills and health to developing adolescents."

Here are some additional tips from Wolfson:

1. Keep a regular sleep-wake schedule throughout the week. When your schedule varies by more than 60 to 90 minutes day to day (or school nights vs. weekend nights), this can have negative consequences for academics, mood and health.

2. Try to get 8 1/2 to 9 1/2 hours of sleep a night: Best for middle and high school-age adolescents

3. Keep a regular study schedule: Trying to study late at night interferes with a teen's ability to get a sufficient amount of sleep, and may create an irregular sleep-wake schedule as noted above.

4. Minimize high-tech in one's sleep environment and particularly in the hour before trying to fall asleep (such as: text messaging, computer work/games, watching videos, etc.). These activities will also interfere with falling asleep and might wake you up at night if you keep your cellphone on during the night.

5. Eliminate caffeine from your diet, particularly 3 to 5 hours before trying to fall asleep.

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Homework negatively affects teen sleep schedules

Cassidy Klock , Associate Editor | October 13, 2021

Kelly Terrebone

As the end of the first quarter approaches, junior Kelly Terrebone works hard to complete her assignments before the deadline. Terrebone finished her work at 2:51 a.m.

On a survey done of 100 students, many teens have admitted their sleep schedule has affected them in a negative way. 

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends at least eight – 10 hours of sleep for any adolescent between the ages of 13 and 18. The survey done shows that 72.0% of students admitted to sleeping only three – four hours each night. 

“Waking up in the morning I just feel drowsy,” junior Mason Crownover said. “I truly can’t remember the last time I’ve woken up during the week and felt refreshed and ready for the school day, but I know how important academics are so I pull myself together and just get ready.” 

When asked why, 91% of students said that homework was what was keeping them up through the night. 

“Between cheer, work and having any kind of social life, sometimes I can’t start my homework until 11 p.m.,” junior Kelly Terrebone said. “On average, I typically have about two hours per night. I’m not the type of person to not do my homework, so I make sure everything is complete before I even think about going to bed no matter the hour.”

However, this has not gone unnoticed by teachers. Some teachers have started to curb the amount of homework they give to their students. 

“I always do my best to stay in touch with the student perspective,” Spanish teacher Dane Leone said. “I have been listening to some things that my students have been saying and there is a lot being crammed into their schedules. If you think about it, from the minute a student walks into school their entire day is scheduled for them. Security checks, reporting room, periods one through eight; then, the school day is up. The only unstructured time students have, unless they are lucky enough to have a study hall, is during lunch. And once the school day is over, many students have sports that they sometimes have to travel long distances for. By the time some of these kiddos finally get some free time, it may be 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. and only then can they start working on their homework. My goal for curbing homework assignments this year is to hopefully give my students some time to relax, enjoy their lives outside of school, and find some time to focus on themselves, their family, and their friends.”

According to Cleveland Clinic , some side effects of not getting enough sleep can include:

• Impaired Immunity 
• High-blood pressure
• Heart Attacks

“I know that my sleep schedule is unhealthy, but I would rather see a 100% on a test after I got two hours of sleep, rather than an 85% after getting eight hours,” Terrebone said. “School is beyond important to me, and I will do anything to see a 100% in the grade book, even if it ends up affecting my overall health.” 

Some students have stated that they believe they have an advantage in school, due to their healthy sleeping habits. 

“On average, I typically get seven to nine hours of sleep per night, depending on the amount of homework each night,” senior Ashtyn Hileman said. “One night I didn’t get enough sleep, and I was trying to read a book for one of my classes. I couldn’t focus enough to even get through the first chapter. If a student is doing that everyday, I can’t imagine how that feels for them and how badly it has affected their grade, even if they don’t notice it.” 

School nurse Renne Weidlich, believes that the amount of sleep that adolescents are getting, could potentially be dangerous to their bodies. 

“Lack of sleep can decrease your response time in certain situations in school and outside of school,” Weidlich said. “It can affect the ability to concentrate and focus on all aspects of the school environment. It can also worsen your mood and behavior. Lack of sleep has a negative effect on memory and blocks the brain’s ability to learn.”

Hello! I'm Cassidy Klock, and I am the Editor in Chief for the AAHS Mountain Echo. I've always had a passion for writing ever since I was a little girl,...

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Korri F. • Oct 13, 2021 at 3:53 pm

Wow, a healthy sleep schedule within 8-10 hours blows my mind. Most of my school nights dont fall in place, I get at most- 6hours. We come together in school for 8hours and most people have jobs now. I work sometimes until closing on school nights and don’t get to start my homework until 12:15Am. I don’t believe homework is truly beneficial when it comes to our health and etches our life OUTSIDE of school.

Navay'on Helton • Oct 13, 2021 at 12:28 pm

Facts yo. Curb the homework, because us youngins are tying to live life.

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Is it time to get rid of homework? Mental health experts weigh in.

It's no secret that kids hate homework. And as students grapple with an ongoing pandemic that has had a wide range of mental health impacts, is it time schools start listening to their pleas about workloads?

Some teachers are turning to social media to take a stand against homework. 

Tiktok user @misguided.teacher says he doesn't assign it because the "whole premise of homework is flawed."

For starters, he says, he can't grade work on "even playing fields" when students' home environments can be vastly different.

"Even students who go home to a peaceful house, do they really want to spend their time on busy work? Because typically that's what a lot of homework is, it's busy work," he says in the video that has garnered 1.6 million likes. "You only get one year to be 7, you only got one year to be 10, you only get one year to be 16, 18."

Mental health experts agree heavy workloads have the potential do more harm than good for students, especially when taking into account the impacts of the pandemic. But they also say the answer may not be to eliminate homework altogether.

Emmy Kang, mental health counselor at Humantold , says studies have shown heavy workloads can be "detrimental" for students and cause a "big impact on their mental, physical and emotional health."

"More than half of students say that homework is their primary source of stress, and we know what stress can do on our bodies," she says, adding that staying up late to finish assignments also leads to disrupted sleep and exhaustion.

Cynthia Catchings, a licensed clinical social worker and therapist at Talkspace , says heavy workloads can also cause serious mental health problems in the long run, like anxiety and depression. 

And for all the distress homework  can cause, it's not as useful as many may think, says Dr. Nicholas Kardaras, a psychologist and CEO of Omega Recovery treatment center.

"The research shows that there's really limited benefit of homework for elementary age students, that really the school work should be contained in the classroom," he says.

For older students, Kang says, homework benefits plateau at about two hours per night. 

"Most students, especially at these high achieving schools, they're doing a minimum of three hours, and it's taking away time from their friends, from their families, their extracurricular activities. And these are all very important things for a person's mental and emotional health."

Catchings, who also taught third to 12th graders for 12 years, says she's seen the positive effects of a no-homework policy while working with students abroad.

"Not having homework was something that I always admired from the French students (and) the French schools, because that was helping the students to really have the time off and really disconnect from school," she says.

The answer may not be to eliminate homework completely but to be more mindful of the type of work students take home, suggests Kang, who was a high school teacher for 10 years.

"I don't think (we) should scrap homework; I think we should scrap meaningless, purposeless busy work-type homework. That's something that needs to be scrapped entirely," she says, encouraging teachers to be thoughtful and consider the amount of time it would take for students to complete assignments.

The pandemic made the conversation around homework more crucial 

Mindfulness surrounding homework is especially important in the context of the past two years. Many students will be struggling with mental health issues that were brought on or worsened by the pandemic , making heavy workloads even harder to balance.

"COVID was just a disaster in terms of the lack of structure. Everything just deteriorated," Kardaras says, pointing to an increase in cognitive issues and decrease in attention spans among students. "School acts as an anchor for a lot of children, as a stabilizing force, and that disappeared."

But even if students transition back to the structure of in-person classes, Kardaras suspects students may still struggle after two school years of shifted schedules and disrupted sleeping habits.

"We've seen adults struggling to go back to in-person work environments from remote work environments. That effect is amplified with children because children have less resources to be able to cope with those transitions than adults do," he explains.

'Get organized' ahead of back-to-school

In order to make the transition back to in-person school easier, Kang encourages students to "get good sleep, exercise regularly (and) eat a healthy diet."

To help manage workloads, she suggests students "get organized."

"There's so much mental clutter up there when you're disorganized. ... Sitting down and planning out their study schedules can really help manage their time," she says.

Breaking up assignments can also make things easier to tackle.

"I know that heavy workloads can be stressful, but if you sit down and you break down that studying into smaller chunks, they're much more manageable."

If workloads are still too much, Kang encourages students to advocate for themselves.

"They should tell their teachers when a homework assignment just took too much time or if it was too difficult for them to do on their own," she says. "It's good to speak up and ask those questions. Respectfully, of course, because these are your teachers. But still, I think sometimes teachers themselves need this feedback from their students."

More: Some teachers let their students sleep in class. Here's what mental health experts say.

More: Some parents are slipping young kids in for the COVID-19 vaccine, but doctors discourage the move as 'risky'

share this!

August 16, 2021

Is it time to get rid of homework? Mental health experts weigh in

by Sara M Moniuszko

It's no secret that kids hate homework. And as students grapple with an ongoing pandemic that has had a wide-range of mental health impacts, is it time schools start listening to their pleas over workloads?

Some teachers are turning to social media to take a stand against homework .

Tiktok user @misguided.teacher says he doesn't assign it because the "whole premise of homework is flawed."

For starters, he says he can't grade work on "even playing fields" when students' home environments can be vastly different.

"Even students who go home to a peaceful house, do they really want to spend their time on busy work? Because typically that's what a lot of homework is, it's busy work," he says in the video that has garnered 1.6 million likes. "You only get one year to be 7, you only got one year to be 10, you only get one year to be 16, 18."

Mental health experts agree heavy work loads have the potential do more harm than good for students, especially when taking into account the impacts of the pandemic. But they also say the answer may not be to eliminate homework altogether.

Emmy Kang, mental health counselor at Humantold, says studies have shown heavy workloads can be "detrimental" for students and cause a "big impact on their mental, physical and emotional health."

"More than half of students say that homework is their primary source of stress, and we know what stress can do on our bodies," she says, adding that staying up late to finish assignments also leads to disrupted sleep and exhaustion.

Cynthia Catchings, a licensed clinical social worker and therapist at Talkspace, says heavy workloads can also cause serious mental health problems in the long run, like anxiety and depression.

And for all the distress homework causes, it's not as useful as many may think, says Dr. Nicholas Kardaras, a psychologist and CEO of Omega Recovery treatment center.

"The research shows that there's really limited benefit of homework for elementary age students, that really the school work should be contained in the classroom," he says.

For older students, Kang says homework benefits plateau at about two hours per night.

"Most students, especially at these high-achieving schools, they're doing a minimum of three hours, and it's taking away time from their friends from their families, their extracurricular activities. And these are all very important things for a person's mental and emotional health."

Catchings, who also taught third to 12th graders for 12 years, says she's seen the positive effects of a no homework policy while working with students abroad.

"Not having homework was something that I always admired from the French students (and) the French schools, because that was helping the students to really have the time off and really disconnect from school ," she says.

The answer may not be to eliminate homework completely, but to be more mindful of the type of work students go home with, suggests Kang, who was a high-school teacher for 10 years.

"I don't think (we) should scrap homework, I think we should scrap meaningless, purposeless busy work-type homework. That's something that needs to be scrapped entirely," she says, encouraging teachers to be thoughtful and consider the amount of time it would take for students to complete assignments.

The pandemic made the conversation around homework more crucial

Mindfulness surrounding homework is especially important in the context of the last two years. Many students will be struggling with mental health issues that were brought on or worsened by the pandemic, making heavy workloads even harder to balance.

"COVID was just a disaster in terms of the lack of structure. Everything just deteriorated," Kardaras says, pointing to an increase in cognitive issues and decrease in attention spans among students. "School acts as an anchor for a lot of children, as a stabilizing force, and that disappeared."

But even if students transition back to the structure of in-person classes, Kardaras suspects students may still struggle after two school years of shifted schedules and disrupted sleeping habits.

"We've seen adults struggling to go back to in-person work environments from remote work environments. That effect is amplified with children because children have less resources to be able to cope with those transitions than adults do," he explains.

'Get organized' ahead of back-to-school

In order to make the transition back to in-person school easier, Kang encourages students to "get good sleep, exercise regularly (and) eat a healthy diet."

To help manage workloads, she suggests students "get organized."

"There's so much mental clutter up there when you're disorganized... sitting down and planning out their study schedules can really help manage their time," she says.

Breaking assignments up can also make things easier to tackle.

"I know that heavy workloads can be stressful, but if you sit down and you break down that studying into smaller chunks, they're much more manageable."

If workloads are still too much, Kang encourages students to advocate for themselves.

"They should tell their teachers when a homework assignment just took too much time or if it was too difficult for them to do on their own," she says. "It's good to speak up and ask those questions. Respectfully, of course, because these are your teachers. But still, I think sometimes teachers themselves need this feedback from their students."

©2021 USA Today Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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The Campanile

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Students should prioritize sleep over work

I t’s 1 a.m.. I’m at my dinner table, slumping over the expanse of school work spread out before me. I urgently flip through my physics notes, looking for an explanation that is probably not there. After two minutes, I give up and crack open my computer.

Among the 15 tabs open, a Google slideshow glares out at me. Thirty-six circular icons pop into the top right hand corner of my screen. I guess I’m not the only one working this late, alone and struggling to stay awake.

As an honors student surrounded by competitive overachievers, I know how hard it is to cram homework, extracurriculars and a social life into one 24-hour day. However, prioritizing sleep is more beneficial to your body and mind than staying up past midnight to finish school work.

According to an American Academy of Pediatrics study , 75 percent of 12th graders received less than the recommended eight hours of sleep compared to only 16 percent of sixth graders. As students get older and their schedules become busier, their sleep durations decline.

There are numerous factors that lead to insufficient sleep among teenagers, and I’m sure everyone has heard them before. Old schoolers blame the disruptive electronic devices that alter our circadian rhythms, inhibiting our ability to fall asleep at a reasonable time. Parents fault schools’ early start times. Some students blame their poor sleep habits on their caffeine addiction.

Regardless, insufficient sleep can lead to multiple consequences, both short and long term. According to the National Library of Medicine , sleep deprivation leads to reduced attention span, lack of energy and worsened memory. A continuous lack of sleep can lead to sleep debt, a cumulative effect of lack of sleep, which is often associated with anxiety, depressive symptoms and even suicide.

Let me reiterate this. Staying up late to finish memorizing your history vocabulary will not only be challenging because of your reduced attention span due to lack of sleep, but you might not be able to remember those vocab terms the next morning because of your worsened memory.

Showing up late to first period in sweatpants, holding a half-empty Peet’s coffee cup and parading a backpack stuffed to the brim with notebooks and crumpled paper is common enough at Paly that no one seems to notice how tired you are. As soon as you find your seat, the first conversation of the day starts off with how much sleep you got the night before. 

The fact that one student got the least amount of sleep compared to their fellow classmates is awarded as a tribute to being an ambitious, hardworking student who has achieved that hustle lifestyle. This lack-of-sleep culture is toxic, though, and results in an unrelenting sleep deprivation loop.

Society praises those who push through their exhaustion and work themselves to the bone. In Palo Alto, the most dedicated students are seen as the ones who work late into the night because they have to attend their extracurricular activities and maintain their social life.

However, these societal pressures only enforce that a students’ self-worth is tied to what they accomplish in a given day, which causes students to stay up later to study.

While most students are aware of the detrimental effects of sleep deprivation, they make no effort to change their sleep schedule or combat these cultural customs.

To those students who brag about getting less sleep than their friend or drink five cups of coffee before 9 a.m., stop promoting this sleep culture. The hustle lifestyle is imaginary, and pressures students to compare themselves to other students. It is a culture that not only ruins people’s mental health, but physically damages their body as well.

Instead, the hustle lifestyle should encourage genuine, healthy productivity rather than the counterproductive sleep deprivation it glorifies.

When your peers brag about sleep deprivation, don’t give in to the temptation and participate in what shouldn’t be a competition. Acknowledge that your sleep schedule is something that needs to be improved, and then fix it.

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Faraz • Mar 2, 2023 at 10:10 am

I completely agree with this statement. Sleep is also essential for our mental health and wellbeing, so it should always be prioritized. Not only does it help us feel more alert and productive, but it can also reduce our stress levels and help us regulate our moods.

Evidence is mounting that teenagers should start school a little later. So why aren’t they?

“Why this happens nobody has a clue—hormone changes are a good bet,” says Dr. David Gozal, a pediatric sleep expert at the University of Chicago. “Paradoxically, this period of puberty is associated with an increased need for more and longer sleep. So now they’re in conflict with the sleep schedules of our society.”

That’s why advocacy groups, administrators and recently the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) have started to push for high schools to delay their start times so that students get more shuteye. In an August 2014 policy statement, the AAP said it supports middle and high schools adopting delayed start times (that is, no earlier than 8:30 a.m.) to allow teens to get the recommended hours of sleep a night (eight to 10), to improve their physical and mental health, safety, academic performance and quality of life. “[The] research indicates that the average teenager in today’s society has difficulty falling asleep before 11:00 p.m. and is best suited to wake at 8:00 a.m. or later,” the statement reads.

Data from a National Sleep Foundation poll shows 59% of kids in grades six through eight and a full 87% of high schoolers in the U.S. say they are getting less than the recommended amount of sleep. More than one in five of these students says he or she falls asleep while doing homework at least once a week.

With evidence suggesting that delaying the start of the school day can lead to more sleep, less reported fatigue and even improved academics , the switch seems like a no-brainer.The AAP recommends that schools should start at 8:30 a.m. or later, yet the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Education shows more than 80% of public schools in the U.S. start earlier than that. (And almost 10% start earlier than 7:30am).

“The evidence is clearly mounting in terms of understanding the repercussions that chronic sleep loss has on the health , safety , and performance of adolescents,” Dr. Judith Owens, director of sleep medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital and author of the AAP statement told TIME writer Alice Park in the book, The Science of Sleep . Some data suggests that anything under 8.5 to 9 hours of sleep on school days can contribute to health problems like obesity , mood changes and diabetes. Other data has linked poor sleep to a higher reliance on substances like caffeine, tobacco and alcohol. Not getting enough sleep can also take a toll on academic performance .

“There’s also really compelling data supporting the fact that delaying school start times is a very important intervention that can mitigate some of the impact of sleep loss,” Owens tells TIME, suggesting if schools make the switch now, there’s time to prevent some of those negative outcomes. Even a half-hour delay, some studies showed, can have dramatic effects on improving children’s health and academic performance.

The research has caught the eye of some very influential educators. “It’s completely a local decision, but I’d like to see more school districts at least consider delaying start times,” says U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “A later start to the school day could help boost students’ academic performance and reduce tardiness and absenteeism. Our commonsense tell us that sleepy students don’t do well in school, but the research also exists to back it up. Studies show that when students are rested, they are more alert and ready to learn.”

Intuitively, it makes sense. If teenagers are supposed to get up to 10 hours of sleep a night and get up for school at 6 a.m., that means many will have to be in bed by 8 p.m. or 9 p.m. Anyone who knows a teenager, or remembers what it was like to be one, knows that an 8:00 p.m. bedtime for a 16-year-old is laughably unrealistic. Not to mention that as entrance to highly regarded colleges gets more competitive, today’s teens keep incredibly busy schedules and trying to balance time for extracurriculars and homework can make it hard for them to fall asleep on time, and for their schools get everyone from parents to coaches on board to push back the start time.

Take Perrin Jones, a junior at Saratoga Springs High School in Saratoga Springs, New York. He wakes up every day at 5:30 a.m. to finish his homework and hops on the bus at 6:50 a.m. to make it to school for a 7:49 a.m. start time. Jones takes almost entirely all AP courses (he wants to get into a college like Carnegie Mellon or University of Michigan to major in physics and computer science), and he volunteers with the school’s IT department during the day. To keep up the schedule, he dropped lunch. After school he has at least one club meeting—he’s in the NASA club and the physics club—and at 6:30 p.m. he goes to the local theater where he’s on the sound crew. He gets home around 11 p.m., and then starts three hours of homework. He says he gets four hours of sleep on average, sometimes six on a good day.

“I don’t know how I keep going with such little sleep, but I do. I feel like I must learn how to survive without sleep to survive high school,” says Jones. “It sure would be nice if school started a little later, I’d definitely appreciate the extra sleep, even if it was half an hour.”

Trevor Weinrich, a senior at Rockhurst High School in Kansas City, Missouri keeps a similar schedule. From 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. he’s at swim practice. School starts at 8 a.m. and goes until 3 p.m., and he also skips lunch frequently for voice lessons. From 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. he has more swim practice followed by choir rehearsal. In the spring he was in three musical productions at once, and had rehearsals until 9:30 at night.

“My homework load averages about two to 2.5 hours a night. Many nights I eat dinner around nine or 10, and don’t get to bed until about 1 a.m or 2 a.m.,” he says.

While Weinrich and Jones are both ambitious students, the crowdedness of their schedules is not all that rare. It’s an issue many schools face—teens are overextended and too tired. So why have so few schools made the switch? Because it’s not as simple as it seems to persuade a whole community to change its schedule.

The Promise

“If [the change] was going to help them live a better life in some respects then it was the right decision to follow and that’s ultimately what we decided,” says Sharon High School Principal Jose Libano. “We will never go back. There is not a kid in this building who would say I prefer to be here at 7:15 in the morning. Not one.”

A year after the shift, the school polled its students, teachers and parents and found that parents and students largely felt the change was positive, while teachers were more split. The teachers felt they functioned better early in the morning, and they ran into commuting problems with the new start time. Still, there was a notable decline in tardiness, and teachers did say that since the change, students seem to be more alert and less lethargic during first period.

“They tend to be more active and willing to participate in discussion, volunteer to go to the board, or engage in group work, because they have gotten more sleep at night,” says Sharon High School Latin teacher Jen Orthman. “I think that despite some initial resistance to the change, most teachers appreciate having additional time in the morning to meet with students, collaborate with peers, partake in meetings, and set up classrooms for the day.”

Of course there was an adjustment period, as there tends to be with most schools that agree to push back their start times. Since community life can revolve around public school schedules, lots of factors—from sports games to when parks are open—need to be taken into account. Not to mention there’s often pushback from parents who are concerned about what impact the later time will have on their child’s after school schedule.

But other schools that have adopted similar changes have also noticed positive benefits. A three-year University of Minnesota study released in 2014 showed that high schools that started at 8:30 a.m. or later allowed 60% of their students to get at least eight hours of sleep each night. The teens who got less than that reported higher levels of depression symptoms, greater use of caffeine, and were at higher risk for making poor choices regarding substance use. Schools that started at 8:35 a.m. or later had better attendance and tardiness rates and better academic performance in core subject areas and in national achievement tests. The report also showed that the number of car crashes involving teen drivers was reduced by 70% when a school shifted start times from 7:35 a.m. to 8:55 a.m..

In Wake County, North Carolina, a study showed that delaying the start of school by one hour could lead to a two to three percentile point increase in math and reading test scores. The effect was greatest among students who were struggling.

When Glens Falls High School in New York first suggested pushing back its start time for the 2012-2013 school year, it met with a lot of opposition. Student athletes and their parents argued that their practices and games would end later, and therefore they would go to bed later too. The Board of Education was divided on the issue. The vote to implement the time change passed by a 5-4 margin in May 2011 and a motion to rescind the change failed by a margin of 4-5 in December 2011.

The school says it has seen improvements among its students since it required them to be at school later. The percentage of late students dropped around 3% from the 2011-2012 school year to the 2013-2014 school year. The number of students failing classes dropped 2.2% and the absentee rate dropped 1.5%.

It’s hard to draw a definitive line between later start times and better scores, mental health and safety, but many who are watching the experiments agree that the numbers showing teens get more sleep with a later start time are promising, given that more shuteye is the ultimate objective.

“Starting school later is in the best interest of your students,” says Libano, who is quite the evangelist for a later-starting day. “When there is a will there has got to be a way. It’s the right thing to do.”

The Challenge

“There were a lot of obstacles. It was divisive,” says Libano about the year the school pushed the new start time through. “It’s a topic that generates a lot of emotions because it’s a significant change.”

Significant may even be an understatement. Sharon High School was lucky; local buses were able to shift their pick-up and drop-off times without the school incurring additional costs. But the middle and grade schools had to change their start times too to accommodate the high school. Officials from Sharon had to go to the other schools in the district they compete against in extracurriculars and sports and ask them to plan competitions accordingly. Sharon also started regulating how long students could be held at practice after school. Ultimately the community was willing to adapt.

“It is very complicated to change a school or district schedule because community life revolves around school hours,”says Terra Ziporyn Snider, the co-founder and executive director of Start School Later, a non-profit working to persuade public schools to change their schedules. “It’s true even if you don’t have kids. Imposing a schedule change on an unwilling community is politically unpopular.”

The time schools start affects traffic flow, day care hours, small businesses that employ high school students, and when parks are open. While all that adjusting can cause some seriously ruffled feathers, Snider says if the change is done the right way, the whole community is involved in the implementation, and it comes off without a hitch.

Most of the time, according to Snider, people just don’t want to change the status quo. “The fear of the impact is incredibly powerful politically,” she says. “It’s fear of change and failure of imagination. It doesn’t mean that because you change the time you suddenly can’t have sports practice because school gets out an hour later. But people do think that and it stops change in its tracks.”

A common concern among critics of later school times is whether pushing back school will just mean that students get to sleep even later and will still be late for school. However, there’s evidence to suggest that’s not usually the case. A 2002 study of Minneapolis high school students showed that after the city’s school districts switched from a 7:15 a.m. start time to 8:40 a.m., kids in schools that switched had similar bedtimes to students whose schools didn’t change, resulting in one additional hour of sleep for the students. A 2010 study of a school that delayed its start time by 30 minutes showed average bedtimes actually shifted 18 minutes earlier , and average reported sleep duration increased 45 minutes. If teens are biologically programmed to go to sleep at a certain hour, pushing back a start time means they have more time in the morning when their bodies want to sleep in. And if their circadian clock is keeping them up at night, it’s not as big of deal.

“There’s zero evidence that the current hours are doing anyone any good and a lot of evidence that they are doing a lot of harm,” says Snider. “We are not talking about letting kids sleep in until 1pm every day, we are taking about letting them sleep until seven or eight in the morning. It’s not a very radical proposition.”

The Way Forward

It’s hard to tell just how many schools have made a switch to a later start time, since some do so individually and others as a district, but interest is mounting. Libano fields many calls from schools inquiring about the change, and the U.S. Department of Education tells TIME that districts from Portland, Maine, to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to Durham, North Carolina, are looking at changing start times.

“While the decision of when to start school is up to the nation’s 15,000 school districts, the Department is interested in how innovative local efforts impact student achievement,” says Duncan. “School systems cannot carry on this work alone – parental involvement is critical to ensuring success for all students.”

In 2011, Fairfax County, Virginia, surveyed some of its 8 th -, 10 th – and 12 th -graders to see how much sleep they were getting at night. The results showed that less than a quarter of high school seniors were sleeping seven or more hours. The data prompted the district to partner with the Children’s National Medical Center’s Division of Sleep Medicine to further study their students’ bedtime routines. Last year, the school board voted for a later school start. Come fall, students at the over 20 high schools in Fairfax County, who used to have to be at school at 7:20 a.m., can roll over and rest. High schools are now starting between 8:00 and 8:10 a.m., which is not exactly up to the AAP’s recommendation of 8:30, but it’s a start.

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Reset Your Sleep Schedule With These 10 Expert-Approved Strategies

A majority of these proven tactics can start helping you enjoy better sleep hygiene — starting tonight.

Sleep hygiene, or the collective steps to ensure you're enjoying your best sleep on a regular basis, can look and feel very different for each individual based on one's lifestyle. This usually depends on when you may need to be up and active or working, as well as when you eat meals; translating to a different sleep schedule and subsequent habits. In any case, your body is often relying on cues surrounding these daily routines in order to regulate what's known as your internal circadian rhythm . Nestled in a part of the brain known as the hypothalamus , your circadian rhythm is largely governed by the environment you're in or by other cues in your surroundings, like a gradual shift from light to dark .

But issues involving hormones, body temperatures and metabolic influences may also impact your circadian cycle, even after just one night's worth of disruptions or significant changes.

There are a few ways you can work to reverse any disturbance to your sleep schedule and be extra considerate of your circadian rhythm to set yourself up for better sleep tonight. Try troubleshooting your sleep schedule by doing a reset; follow along as we highlight proven tricks and tips for getting back to a good night's sleep.

How to reset your sleep schedule:

If you're trying to improve your sleep hygiene but don't know where to start, try working your way through this list of proven tactics before moving on to other resources available to you.

1. Build-in pockets of break times during your day — especially before bed.

Taking time to wind down in the hours leading up to sleep is indeed important. But often people who are experiencing disruptions to their sleep routine are in the midst of an overbearing schedule that extends throughout the entire day and into the evening. If you're having trouble staying asleep at night, it may be due to a condition known as hyperarousal , explains Jade Wu, Ph.D. , a clinical psychologist in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University .

"It's basically because your body and mind are too revved up," she says. "The problem may be what you're doing, or failing to do, during the day. You must make sure you have time to rest, instead of being on the go all day long."

Being busy, either physically or through mental exhaustion , is an easy way to tire yourself out — but if you're not building in periods of time to allow yourself to rest, this may lead to disrupted sleep functions later in the evening. This is especially true for people who are working right up until their bedtime; simply shutting off a computer or stopping chores and making a beeline for a dark bedroom doesn't ensure immediate sleep.

2. Practice a soothing function prior to bed.

It goes hand in hand with scheduling breaks throughout your day, but offsetting stress and cortisol in your body (the hormone that stress produces) is essential to set yourself up for a mindset that's conducive to sleep. If you can tell that the day's stress is following you into your bedroom at night, Wu advises focusing on a relaxing ritual in the hour before you lay down to signal to your brain that it's time to shut down for the evening.

The activity can be something of your choice, and it can be as simple as zoning out over a favorite show or scrolling through a social media feed — as long as you're putting boundaries in to ensure you're not self-sabotaging your bedtime . Sleep specialists have long advocated for meditation or journaling during this time, or even something physical that can be practiced easily in your quarters, like yoga or stretching exercises . Whatever you choose to do, be sure to consistently practice it within the hour you plan to turn off your lights and put your head on the pillow; building this routine may help guide your circadian rhythm over time.

"Make sure to have some dedicated time to process your thoughts, too, or else they'll be pent up and ready to disrupt you during the night," Wu adds. "If you're prone to overthinking or worry during the night, get out of your head and into your body with mindful breathing or another exercise beforehand."

3. Monitor what you eat and drink at night.

Your metabolism has a direct impact on your body's internal clock, says Rebecca Robbins, Ph.D. , a sleep medicine instructor at Harvard Medical School and sleep expert to Oura . Some of the things you consume at night may be obvious culprits for keeping you awake: Caffeinated beverages and sugary sweets , which stimulate you and keep you up later than you may intend. Spicy or acidic foods may also trigger acid reflux or heartburn which may keep you up longer than you'd like.

Alcohol is a nervous system depressant and may seem like it helps you get to sleep, but research confirms that booze before bed may reduce the quality of your sleep by impairing your rapid eye movement (REM) sleep . Alongside a heavy meal late in the day, these kinds of dietary choices may impact you over time — and definitely impacts sleep quality if you have a temporary disruption in routine.

Stick to decaffeinated teas and other soothing beverages, and try reaching for a portion-controlled unprocessed snack if you're hungry before bed; fresh fruit or even a dose of lean protein can help lull you to sleep. There is a wide range of foods that you can incorporate into your end-of-day routine which promotes better sleep if your snacking habits are impeding bedtime.

4. Invest in an air purifier and air conditioning as necessary.

Many people may already know that sleeping hot is one surefire way to damper the quality of your sleep and set yourself up for tossing and turning during the night. A National Institutes of Health (NIH) review suggested that temperatures higher than 75°F in your bedroom overnight (as well as below 54°F in cooler months) may prompt you to have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep during the night.

But temperature and a good air conditioner isn't the only factor to consider when it comes to the air inside your bedroom. Poor ventilation and air quality may impact your lungs and overall sleep quality, especially if you have pets or share your bedroom with more than one person.

"If you have a small bedroom and share it with other humans or animals consistently, the air quality may not be ideal for good quality sleep," Wu says, adding that humans' oxygen saturation levels drop significantly as breathing becomes more shallow during certain stages of sleep. "Keep doors and windows open if possible to keep the air flowing."

5. Limit your exposure to light in the hours before bed.

Whether it's light emitted from an electronic device or if you're someone who needs to sleep during the day to work at night, you need to curtail your exposure to light in order to stimulate your body into a good period of sleep.

For most, this means dimming or turning off lights in your home and in your bedroom; doing so may prompt your circadian rhythm to communicate to your brain to produce melatonin , a sleep hormone that makes you feel naturally tired and drowsy. This includes light produced by electronic screens, from television and computers to smartphones that you may wish to use while lying in bed.

On the flip side, you'll harness natural light and other devices in your home to help you feel more awake when you need to be — a key regulatory function of the circadian rhythm. "When we spend all day indoors, we don't get enough broad-spectrum light exposure, which makes it harder for our circadian clocks to function," Wu explains. "At least half an hour of outdoor light during the day can improve sleep quality."

6. Try sleeping a bit longer.

If you're frequently fighting to drag yourself out of bed in the morning despite sticking to a strict bedtime, this could be your body's way of signaling that you're just not getting enough sleep. "If you are falling short of the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep for adults, you might consider trying to build in a bit more time into your routine by adjusting your bedtime slowly," Robbins advises.

You may need to adjust your sleep habits on a seasonal basis , too, due to the limited amount of sunshine that most experience during the winter. This is especially true if you're experiencing what's known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) , which is much more common and goes undiagnosed in many individuals with mild cases.

"Our brain is less able to understand when it should be tired and when it should be alert [during the winter]," she adds. "If this is an issue for you, try to get outside and into the light when the sun is up to help train your brain to understand appropriate sleep and wake times."

7. Don't categorize your sleep routine between weekdays and weekends.

Sticking to a strict schedule and good habits during the weekday and then slacking off on weekends may seem innate for some; after all, you don't have to wake up when you're not at work or in school. But doing this on a cycle can easily damage your quality of sleep and make it impossible to maintain a consistent sleep schedule, due to a phenomenon that sleep experts call " social jetlag."

"When we sleep and rise at very different times on workdays versus days off, it's like we're traveling multiple time zones throughout the week and getting jetlagged," Wu says. "This confuses our circadian clocks, making our sleep quality and daytime functioning worse."

If you're finding that you're having a lot of trouble getting to sleep or are feeling particularly restless on Sunday , Monday or Tuesday , social jetlag is likely a root cause — and a key indicator you'll need to maintain a recurrent wake-up time each morning to avoid the issue. Organizing your sleep schedule around a consistent wake-up time rather than a consistent bedtime will ensure your circadian rhythm helps you truly feel sleepy at the end of the day rather than tossing and turning in bed.

8. Avoid getting into bed when you don't feel sleepy.

This is also true for someone who frequently wakes up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep. Consistently using your bed to signal your brain that it's time to sleep — rather than simply lounging, eating a meal, binging shows or doomscrolling — can become part of a routine that helps those who frequently are tossing and turning from becoming frustrated and being unable to sleep.

"If you toss and turn after getting back into bed, start over again — get out of your bed and only get back when you actually feel tired," Robbins advises, adding that people can also use this tactic if they have to use the bathroom in the middle of the night.

Setting boundaries in your bedroom to truly delegate sleeping to your bed on its own can be very helpful if you can't seem to find a solution for tossing and turning on end. Don't try to adhere to a bedtime by begrudgingly laying in bed if you feel alert and awake; try other techniques listed in this guide to calm down, and feel out your circadian clock to really know when you're ready to lay down and hit the pillow.

9. Skip naps and hold out for your bedtime.

Taking a power nap seems like a good solution if you've recently experienced an interruption in your sleeping routine — whether it's traveling into another time zone or simply because you've been sleeping poorly at home recently. But napping can inevitably cause you to feel more tired and groggy than you did before in most cases, as it only takes between 60 and 90 minutes for your body to slip into REM sleep , and waking up from that prematurely contributes to this sensation.

To avoid impacting your circadian rhythm, try avoiding naps altogether — if you can't skip a nap for whatever reason, be sure to keep it to 30 minutes or less and make it as early in the day as possible. Doing so may leave your circadian clock better positioned for a regular bedtime later, as Mayo Clinic officials have noted.

10. Don't quit your current sleep habits cold turkey.

This may sound counterintuitive, but you can't expect results overnight — adopt all of these techniques and new objectives on a rolling basis, as abruptly changing your sleeping habits can easily lead to more disaster before any growth. One key aspect to think about is an adjusted bedtime; it's very easy to dip into sleeping time than it is to make more of it, so be easy on yourself at first.

Both Robbins and Wu, alongside many other sleep experts, advise easing into a new, optimized bedtime by training yourself to get into bed earlier in 15-minute increments every three days. If you have a sleep routine already, including wind-down activities, bumping these up too can help impact your circadian rhythm naturally over time.

Temporary issues that may be impacting your sleep schedule:

A disruption in your sleep schedule and subsequent quality of rest can be expected due to a myriad of lifestyle choices, most of which you can immediately address by using some of the tactics we've highlighted in the sections above.

You should expect that your sleep schedule will be impacted due to issues like:

• Pulling an all-nighter
• Traveling through multiple time zones on long-haul trips
• Jet lag on extended trips
• Temporary evening work shifts
• Light pollution at home
• Temporary illness as well as stress and anxiety

While it's normal for your sleep schedule to be temporarily disrupted or impaired due to these issues, there may be other root causes behind declining sleep quality that you'll need help addressing. Since having an inconsistent sleep schedule often quickly leads to poor sleep, chronic health issues or lifestyle choices that are leading you to experience sleep disruption should be addressed with your healthcare provider. Without working to reverse these chronic disruptions, research suggests that poor sleep quality and an impacted circadian rhythm can lead to depression , other sleep disorders , seasonal affective disorder (known as SAD), as well as physical drawbacks like an increased risk of obesity and diabetes .

Sleep can easily be impacted by lifestyle choices that you may need help from a doctor in managing in the long run; namely, proper nutrition, sustained exercise and stress management, explains Ali Rodriguez, M.D. , an Arizona-based OB-GYN and women's health expert to health technology brand Oura . "A lot of people don't realize that exercise, for example, helps our sleep; moving your body for at least 30 minutes five days a week contributes to better sleep," Dr. Rodriguez says.

Mental health may also come into play and require a helping hand, Robbins adds. "Managing stress across the day is important and can help with sleep; research suggests those who practice meditation and mindfulness get better sleep and take a bit less time to fall asleep than those without these skills," she says.

When it's time to see a doctor : One key indicator is a chronic toss-and-turn that lasts for more than 30 minutes. If you've experienced this issue almost every night during the week and have done so for more than 3 months, it's time to seek out medical input . This time frame remains true for most sleep issues, like chronically waking up in the middle of the night — or having trouble getting out of bed in the morning.

Dr. Rodriguez stresses checking in with your healthcare provider is also crucial when you can no longer get through essential tasks within your daily routine. Given that current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention figures peg more than 70 million Americans as being influenced by underlying sleep disorders, some of which may silently impact circadian rhythms, there may be an issue that requires medical attention before you're able to truly enjoy a good night's sleep.

Zee Krstic is a content strategy manager for Hearst Magazines, focusing on SEO optimization and other editorial strategies for four brands, including Country Living, House Beautiful, ELLE Decor and VERANDA. He previously served as Health Editor for Good Housekeeping between 2019 and 2023, covering health news, diet and fitness trends as well as executing wellness product reviews in conjunction with the Good Housekeeping Institute. Prior to joining Hearst, Zee fostered a strong background in women's lifestyle media with eight plus years of editorial experience, including as a site-wide editor at Martha Stewart Living after developing a nutrition background as an assistant editor at Cooking Light . Zee produces service-based health coverage, as well as design and travel content, for Hearst brands on a contributor basis; he has written about food and dining for Time, among other publications.

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Sorry Teachers, But My Sleep Is More Important Than Homework

Freshman at Tufts University from Chicago.

Junior year: a time of studying, stress and anxiety about our futures. For many of us, the college process begins the August or September of our junior year. We wake up very early to go to school, maybe even earlier to meet with a teacher, complete our extracurricular activities, come home to have a quick dinner, talk for eight minutes with our parents and do homework until we fall asleep. But then we remember. We have to look at the ACT packet one more time. Half asleep, we run downstairs to get the ACT book, and start studying. Section 1, section 2, section 3. Fifteen to 30 minutes a day is what they say keeps low ACT scores away. We spend hours going over where to put a comma in a sentence, or how to apply the Pythagorean theorem. After this, we finally get to turn off the lights, and drift away to sleep. And then six hours later, we do it all over again. This is a snapshot of the daily routine of many high school juniors. For those of you juniors who are reading this, I sympathize with you. Just know that in a few months, it will all be over. For readers who were once juniors, congratulations on making it through. And for the readers who are soon to be juniors... well... good luck. In my freshmen health class, my teacher told us that teenagers need at least eight to nine hours of sleep each night. In a Utopian society, this would be possible. The sad truth is, with extra curricular activities, ACT/SAT test preparation, after school sports and music, excessive homework and pressure to do well, high school juniors cannot maintain this sleep schedule. As much as our growing minds and bodies crave nine hours of sleep each night, there is no time. Let me ask you all a question: Doesn't it seem more humane to assign a teenager perhaps two hours of homework each night? This would allow us a tiny bit of down time after a long day of school, 6:00 AM tennis practice, music lessons, ACT preparation, Robotics club or sports. Two hours of homework would enable us to have that coveted eight to nine hours of much needed sleep. Or does it seem better to pile juniors with five hours of work a night, leaving very little time to relax, therefore decreasing the amount of time that they can sleep? If you are sane, then you should choose the former. Teenagers need more sleep. The future success of our society depends on changing the bad habits of burying our youth with work and depriving us of sleep. In my opinion, junior year of high school is a time for growth. By junior year many students have the ability to think critically, and solve challenging problems. Separation from peers and parents may begin as we start to prepare for college. The current structure of the junior year is troubling and inefficient. Students should not lumber into class half asleep or doze off in their early morning physics class. I do think that flipping the classroom literally means flipping your schedule, so that way we sleep at home, and learn at school. I think that we need to prioritize sleep over homework. Yes, homework is crucial for a student's growth. But do we really need to spend countless hours a night doing it? Let's make a change. Change junior year.

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