Sleep is the body’s natural way of recovering from a long, exhausting day. However, there is an issue when students from all over the campus are acting tired all day. There is a common problem that is apparent: teenagers are lacking precious beauty sleep. There isn’t any one specific reason for this epidemic, but rather a multitude of small reasons that all add up together.

Extracurricular activities can be great by putting you in a social group, challenging yourself, and can look very good to a future college or job employer. Despite all of the positives, there is one major drawback to joining any extracurricular activity: the out-of-school time the activities usually take. What that can lead to is a lack of valuable sleeping time. Homework in general is also a big factor in sleep deprivation; especially Dual Credit and more challenging classes.

“I play tennis and I am a part of National Honor Society, Student Council, Science Club, Health Science Club, Hope Initiative, La Bamba, and Model UN,” senior Janette Chavez said. “I have a part time job. Yes, they take up most of my time.”

Another major non-school related factor is phone usage. According to Myorganizing.org, American teenagers spend an average of seven hours and twenty two minutes per day on their cell phones (not including the screen time for school/work purposes). All of that blue light that modern screens emanate (especially at night) can make sleeping difficult.

“I usually go to sleep at around midnight,” senior Melanie Sosa said. “This is due to finishing homework or my pretty unhealthy relationship with my phone. I spend an average of five hours each day on my phone.”

Despite all of the earlier listed issues, both teens at KHS and teens in general are not truly understanding the importance of sleep.

According to betterhealth.edu, teenagers should get around 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night, while most get around 6. The main reason that your body sleeps is because it gives the brain a well deserved rest after keeping you alive and well throughout the day. It also refreshes the body so it is more alert and ready for the next day. Not having enough sleep can cause grumpiness and are more vulnerable to heart problems.

“Sleep recharges you essentially,” Sosa said. “How you start your day really correlates with the type of sleep you get.”

If you or someone you know are currently struggling with sleeping, you are not alone. According to healthier.stanfordchildrens.org, 70% of teenagers don’t get enough sleep.

There are numerous ways to make yourself sleepier at night; the most common method is music/noises. Popular music includes lofi and lullabies; popular noises are heavy rain and ASMR.

A popular short term solution is taking a nap, but it could make someone feel worse or not tired at night. The final resort for most people are melatonin gummies/tablets/pills that release melatonin into the brain, forcing you to be tired [note: using melatonin constantly each night can make your body dependent to the extra melatonin, and require it each night and also constant headaches].

“Having a bad night of sleep has given me less motivation and less energy to do anything relating to a social life,” Chavez said. “When I am able to get an hour of naptime, my energy restores, and I sleep later to get all my work done.”