Lack of sleep negatively affects students in many ways. We need about eight hours of sleep per day however most students sleep for about six hours maximum.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention stated that, ”Adolescents need eight to ten hours of sleep per night. But, more than two-thirds of US high school students report getting less than 8 hours of sleep on school nights.” One main reason as to why students only get a few hours of sleep is because they receive a lot of homework that takes up most of the their afternoon and night as well. Students are involved in sports, clubs, and other extracurricular activities that prevent them from starting their work right after school. Some students also have jobs during the week that consume most of their time. Therefore, they start their homework later in the afternoon and finish late at night.

Sleep deprivation can affect students’ ability to concentrate and it can also stress them out due the workload that they’re receiving. Being tired can affect your mood and your way of viewing things. Our school has an issue with attendance, which connects to lack of sleep because students wake up late from staying up at night.

”I was on the LOP because I wouldn’t receive enough sleep due to the amount of work I was receiving,” said junior Rosa Reyes. “I would arrive late to school because I would wake up late so I would fall behind in my classwork.”

Students have to arrive at school before 7:25 am and be in class by 7:30 am. They don’t think it’s a reasonable time because they would like an extra hour of sleep. Students shouldn’t prioritize their school work rather than their sleep, because how can they work better if they cannot function due to lack of sleep?