Am I Keeping You Awake?
Kira Paley ('15)
November 27, 2014
“A whoaie, Miss Paley, am I putting you to sleep?” I jerked awake as Mr. Deaett’s voice boomed above my head. I had fallen asleep in the middle of class, yet again. It has happened to me at least twice just today. Getting out of bed in the morning is nearly impossible; sometimes when I get home from school, I take naps before starting my homework. And I’m not the only one; 34 high school seniors were surveyed, and 22 admitted to having fallen asleep in class at least once in the past year. Why are we all perpetually exhausted?
Everyone has an internal clock called “circadian rhythms”; it affects body temperature, appetite, and sleep cycles. Before a person hits puberty, her internal clock leads her to fall asleep between 8 and 9 P.M. After puberty, however, the internal clock shifts and it becomes more natural to fall asleep after 11 P.M.; in fact, for teenagers, it is unnatural to fall asleep before 11. That’s why we tend to stay up later, and therefore, feel the need to wake up later.
Sleep is crucial, especially for teenagers. Enough sleep can help us manage stress, eat better, and excel academically. Sleep deprivation can cause limited ability to learn and solve problems, can lead to acne and other skin problems, and is the reason for some teenagers’ motor vehicle accidents. It is recommended that teenagers get about 9 1⁄4 hours of sleep nightly. But this is nearly impossible, what with excessive amounts of homework, long bus rides (#OTC), and the need to have some sort of social life. The average Ma’ayanot senior gets between 5 and 6 hours of sleep each night, which is nowhere near what is necessary; the problem of constant tiredness still remains.
While it may be hard to increase the amount of sleep we get, there are quite a few methods that can help improve the quality of our sleep so we feel more well-rested in the morning. First, avoid naps. As teenagers, we love naps. One student says, “They are the best thing in the entire world and getting the chance to take them is like getting an opportunity from HaKadosh Baruch Hu Himself.” However, naps that are too long negatively affect our sleep, as they make it harder to fall asleep at night. Limit your naps to 30 minutes.
Stimulating activities, like exercise, texting, and loud music, should be kept to a minimum 1-2 hours before you go to sleep. Screen time should also be limited before hitting the hay; researchers have found that the artificial light emitted from cell phones, computer, and TV mess with the chemicals in the brain that promote sleep. Caffeine intake should also be kept in check, as it interferes negatively with our ability to sleep.
While this advice will not increase your shut-eye time, in will improve how well you sleep, which also has the ability to make you feel less exhausted. Sleep tight!