Endless studying, practice problems, and overanxious review—this pattern has dictated the past few weeks of school as final exams loomed over me. Waking up feels only more tiring instead of rejuvenating, and I ask myself the same question: Is staying up this late even worth it?
Lately, sleep has been a privilege and a luxury. Six hours of classes daily, combined with homework and after-school activities, can make sleeping early feel unproductive and counterintuitive. Problem sets consume much of my time already; glossing over test materials takes even more. By the time I’m finished, the clock has creaked past 12:00 a.m.
“By damaging our biological clock, we throw it off balance, and that tips off everything else running our system: our mood, feelings, and attention.”
But it is not entirely our fault for being late sleepers or for believing that staying awake longer is necessary. According to a study by Johns Hopkins Medicine, teenagers experience a natural shift in circadian rhythm, the body’s internal clock that controls hormone production and our wake-sleep cycle. That is why it feels “acceptable” to sleep late. But by damaging our biological clock, we throw it off balance, and that tips off everything else running our system: our mood, feelings, and attention.
We should not encourage the dangerous culture of sleep deprivation, which has become so common nowadays that we laugh over the few hours of sleep we manage to snatch, a dangerous normalization. Teachers say, “get some rest” and “sleep earlier,” statements we ignore but should really take to heart. We encourage ourselves to be successful, but we cannot manage that if we are unclear about our own intentions for rest. If we aren’t ready to tackle problems in school with a fully rejuvenated mind and body, how can we prepare ourselves for life?
Medical professionals recommend that teenagers aged thirteen to eighteen should sleep for around eight to ten hours a day, mainly because it not only develops the mind but also helps memory retention and stabilizes mental and physical health. With a clearer mind, what you study can be applied much better than when you’re overwhelmed with tiredness.
“The answer is clear: we need to dedicate ourselves to it.”
I am not exempt from this issue. My phone stays too close to me at night. When I’m unable to fall asleep, I end up reaching for it and scrolling for thirty minutes. The sleep debt compounds, and I come to school tired, half-awake with baggy eyes.
So, how do we fix this issue? The answer is clear: we need to dedicate ourselves to it. The solution is putting our phones away, taking a nap if you need it, stopping yourself from eating temptations, and turning off the lights in your room earlier. We must take these small steps first if we want to solve our sleep debt. When finals arrive, the students who do better are often those who are more rested.
As many of our teachers would say, “Don’t take your foot off the gas pedal.” But don’t go speeding either.
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