Research shows that a teenager needs nine to ten hours of sleep every night. Yet, most teens only get roughly seven to eight hours on average. About seven out of ten high schoolers do not get the right amount of sleep.

Chronic sleep deprivation can lead to reduced concentration and alertness, poor academic performance and feelings of sadness and irritability. Getting the proper amount of sleep is the best way to protect ourselves from conditions like depression. The most powerful antidepressant, serotonin, is produced by our body during the six to eight hours of sleep you get every night. Poor sleep can cause susceptibility to serious illness, a rise in blood pressure, eating too much, eating foods that are highy caffienated or have a high amount of sugar which is bad for you, mood swings, aggressive or impatient behavior and low self-esteem. (Sources: 1 2 3 4)

Personally, I have always had trouble getting the right amount of sleep. I would push everything off till the last second and stay up until 3 in the morning to get it all done. Or, I would stay up all night on my phone reading and playing games.

As a result of that, my body got into the habit of not going to sleep until 2 or 3 a.m. Even though I did not have any work to do and had put my phone away, I still could not go to sleep at 9 or 10 p.m. when I would go to bed. This caused me to have trouble functioning properly in school and being constantly tired throughout the day.

I was forced to completely retrain myself to go to sleep at a reasonable time and get the right amount of sleep. After doing this, I realized how much easier it was to make it through the day without being tired, and I was able to perform better in school.

Students, especially high schoolers, need to sleep to function and perform their best in and out of the classroom.

Some easy steps to get a good night’s rest is:

• When waking up in the morning, try to get up at roughly about the same time so your body knows exactly when it needs to get up.
• Perform some type of physical activity throughout the day, like running or a sport of some type.
• Set some time aside during the day to think and problem-solve, so you do not stay up late thinking about controversial things.
• Do not drink caffeine or eat sugary foods after 4 p.m. because they are a brain stimulate.
• Allow yourself some time to wind down at night.
• If you are working or studying, allow yourself about 30 minutes to wind down before bedtime.
• Last but not least, avoid phones, tablets and watching TV just before you go to bed.

If you need more incentive to get a good night’s rest every night check out this website about 10 scientific reasons to get a good night’s sleep: website.