As I am writing this, I might fall asleep so we will see how this goes. According to webmd.com the average teenager, ages 12-18, needs 8-9 hours of sleep per day. Sleep is vital to our health and growth for the future. For many students in middle school and high school it is very difficult to get their needed amount of sleep. This in turn probably causes a decline in grades, lack of attendance at school and a better chance of getting the yearly flu. I know its hard to stay awake in class sometimes but what can be done about it?
One problem that is hard to fix is the amount of activities that teenagers are in these days. I know that myself for example get so rundown during the swim season that I can harldy function somedays. Getting up at 5 am to swim and then go to school and come right home to do homework until 11:00 is exhausting. In addition, the physical fatigue is difficult to cope with too. I have found myself numerous times doing the "headbob" trying to force myself to stay awake.
Its not just sports that cause for a lack of sleep. Jobs are very time demanding in a teenager's life as well. I know people who work until 10 at night and then have to get up and go to school the next day. This kind of lifestyle is just not healthy for teenagers. Can't these employers find adults to work those shifts?
Homework is another problem that puts a damper on everyone's life at some point. I COMPLETELY understand the point and benefits of doing homework, I just think that sometimes it gets a little excessive. I mean, we have lives and jobs and sports that are sometimes just as big of a priority as schoolwork. There isn't much of a worse feeling than staying up until midnight and even later to finish some stupid homework assignment. The result of this is additional stress and once again, lack of sleep.
So to all of the teenagers out there-I don't know what to tell you to find a new way to find some sleep but if you come up with something, let me know ASAP!
P.S. I made it through this post without falling asleep!
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