When faced with a heavy homework load, procrastination and poor time management, most students cut from their sleep time in order to cope with the amount of work.

Teachers notice when students lack sleep. “You can tell by [their] posture, mannerisms, demeanor,” science teacher Casey O’Connell said. “Students can’t disguise this by fighting to keep their eyes open. It’s a certain intuition; you can see it with just peripheral vision.” According to O’Connell, student performance also decreases. “Test scores are lower when [students] are sleep deprived and more depressed,” O’Connell said. “They aren’t as excited to learn when they aren’t rested. Sleep deprivation depends more on sports and extracurricular activities, which change by student and time of year.”

O’Connell suggests having a bedtime routine to get enough sleep every day. “[First you should] set a bedtime and stick to it,” O’Connell said. “An hour before bedtime, pre-sleeping activities should include shutting off your computer and TV. Don’t exercise strenuously. Stop thinking about stressful situations. Turn off your phone. Stay away from caffeine and sugar in the evenings, in general.” According to webmd.com, teenagers should get nine hours of sleep nightly. Sophomore Daniel Chen gets an average of six hours every night. “Because I procrastinate a lot, I frequently wake up at 5 a.m. to finish my homework,” he said. During the year, Chen has certain periods of time when he is more sleep deprived than others. “I usually lose the most sleep during finals week. I have a lot more I have to worry about, despite the fact we don’t have any homework.”

Junior Chris Lu also faces issues concerning healthy amounts of sleep, specifically during test times. “I usually feel more tired after test days because I stay up late studying,” Lu said. “[Tests] are a major part of my grade, meaning I have to do well on them.” Another reason Lu is dealing with a lack of sleep is because of extracurricular events and poor scheduling techniques. “Because of tennis and procrastination, I usually get around six hours of sleep,” Lu said.

Principal Noreen Likins, who worked for six years as the Assistant Principal of Guidance, has seen many overstressed students. “Particularly when I was in the [Advanced Placement (AP)] Guidance office, I came across students who were trying to do too much,” Likins said. “It’s very individual. Some students can very successfully carry six [AP classes], but on the other side of the spectrum some students have trouble carrying a ‘normal’ schedule. You can’t make any generalizations.”

Over periods of time, she has seen the outcome of school pressure. “A couple of students have become quite ill due to stress, where they can’t come to school,” she said. Likins recommends that students plan ahead before signing up for classes. “When people sign up for APs, they need to remember things like their music lessons, sports, etc. that also require time each day,” Likins said. “Students need to look at the big picture. In college, you would take three courses per semester, if you are taking six APs, you are doubling up. Some people can do it, but others will struggle.”