Do high school students get enough rest?

A lot of the time we are reminded to get a good night’s sleep. Of course, it’s only reasonable that we should be advised in this way; our minds and bodies need time to rest. 

But how much rest is necessary for a high school student?

According to the Center For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website, students between ages 13 – 18 should sleep for eight to 10 hours each night. For many, this seems almost impossible.

For quite a few Hoban students, finding time to get even eight hours of sleep is a challenge. Jobs, sports, extracurricular activities and even just the standard assignments and amount of studying prohibit many from reaching that goal.

Kids across the country combat this issue as well. The CDC analyzed data from studies conducted in 2015 and found that about seven out of 10 students nationwide did not get enough sleep on school nights.

That is roughly 72.7% of high school students who struggle to get enough rest throughout most of the week.

For middle school students who require nine to 12 hours of sleep a night, the issue is almost just as problematic.

Only four out of 10 children in grades 6-8 receive the recommended amount of rest. Over half of these students are unable to find the time to meet these hours.

And remember, these studies were conducted in 2015. With the pandemic, many people’s schedules have been thrown off. The number of students who lack the amount of sleep necessary for growth might be much greater than before.

How can we solve these issues? How can we ensure students sleep the amount needed in order to refresh their minds and bodies?

Of course, every student would be on board with the idea of lessening the homework load. It is insane how many kids stay up late trying to finish and keep up with assignments.

Sometimes, if the lack of sleep is taking a huge toll on the well being of the student, it might be necessary to quit playing a sport or participating in an extracurricular. Naturally, organization and proper scheduling can also help to ease the burden of assignments, studying and other activities.

It isn’t always possible to consistently obtain the desired eight hours of sleep, but many students would benefit from a few more hours a week. Or maybe, as the kids say, “just a few more minutes, mom!”