Sleep is a big problem for many middle schoolers. With trying to balance homework, sports, and just time for themselves, it becomes very difficult to get enough sleep every night. A number of teens fall into bad sleeping habits. While focusing on all those other activities, sleep tends to be the first thing students cut out of their schedule. Many middle schoolers also don’t know the benefits of a good night’s sleep. This makes it seem pointless for them to maintain a good sleep schedule, which couldn’t be farther from the truth.
Something most middle schoolers do not know about sleep is that your body doesn’t just shut down for the night, way more is going on inside your brain. According to SleepFoundation.org sleep isn’t just closing your eyes and waking up the next morning, but it is recovery for the brain, and it is necessary for the brain to function properly. Sleep also promotes better physical and mental performance the next day and over the long-term.
Sleep is divided into 4 different stages, these stages work to start sleep, maintain sleep, recover the brain, and wake up. They are composed of REM and non-REM, meaning rapid eye movement and non rapid eye movement. REM activity and non-REM activity are noticeably different from each other. The first stage of non-REM is short because it is the start of falling asleep. The second stage is slowing down the mind to get ready for the next stages, and it is very easy to wake up at these stages. Stage three however is recovery mode for the brain. It is important to sleep enough, so that you can maximize the amount of time your body is in this stage. The fourth stage is starting the wake up by upping the brain activity as if you were awake, this is when dreams start. Seven to nine hours for adults and even more for children and teens is crucial for development, and ensures that when you wake up, you’re ready for the day.
Middle schoolers don’t all have similar sleeping habits, and that became very clear when they were interviewed. The students in sixth grade at Roosevelt were found to have the best sleep schedule, with an average of 8.7 hours of sleep per night. This was followed by eighth grade students, who average 7.9 hours of sleep per night, which means seventh graders have the worst sleep schedules, and average of 7.7 hours of sleep per night. The worst sleep schedule found was 7th grader Rhett Mckelvey, with a whopping 6 hours of sleep. He mentioned how this often causes him to wake up tired, and not prepared for the day. Rhett also shared that he often has so many distractions around him, which make it very hard for him to go to sleep.
Sleep is becoming a big problem for many teens, and there are many reasons this could be happening. Rhett Mckelvey later shared with us that one of the main distractions stopping him from getting a good night’s rest is doom scrolling. Eighth grader Ryan Noak, said that he would rather play video games at night, so he tends to go to sleep very late. He mentioned that he has been working to fix this habit. Seventh grader Jaxson Eskow says that homework is the main reason he stays up so late, since it is his top priority. He shared that he would be open to finding ways that he could balance the two better. It was concluded that people believe that getting more sleep would be very beneficial. Henry Chung says that it helps his body physically recover, and he feels refreshed after a good night’s sleep.
Out of all of these interviews one person stands out of the crowd, Madeline Crotty. Madeline gets an impressive 10 and a half hours of sleep each night. Finding the perfect balance of school, sports, and other activities while still having time to sleep enough each night. She says, “I put my phone away at 9:00, and get right out of bed each morning to maintain a good sleep schedule.” With this she also states that she never feels tired during the day. Which is all due to her maintaining her sleep schedule, and prioritizing it like any other important part of the day. This goes to show that there are plenty of benefits to sleeping enough each night. Teenagers tend to sleep less than they should, and with that comes consequences, which is why sleep is imperative during teenage years.