Whether you are a junior stacking APs or a freshman still trying to find your way around the school, sleep is one part of student life that is indiscriminate in its effects. But how does a MK student’s sleep schedule change over the four years that they are here?
Nationalacademies.org expresses how sleep deprivation is not just among Morris Knolls, New Jersey, or U.S students but teens from all over the globe, and the average may express statistics far worse than at home (Emelson 2006). For example, in South Korea, the average 12th grader gets only around 4.86 hours of rest each night. The low average shows a wide range of causes that lead to sleep deprivation, such as life at home, pressure from assignments, or chronic use of melatonin gummies.
Morris Knolls students share similar sentiments. Senior Jilliane describes….“I used to go to sleep at 9 pm, but after my 3rd year, my norm is now 12 am.”
Former MK student Jeanette Yeung describes the trend she observed through her four years here at MK, stating, “My norm was also at 9 pm, but got pushed to 11:30 pm sometimes.”
Although sleep deprivation within your high school career may seem inevitable, many precautions can be taken to lessen this problem. Unfortunately, some advice may be more helpful than others, depending on the type of person you are. For instance, some might advise to “have better time management” or to “not have your phone in the bedroom,” as noted in the article, “10 Tips to Help Your Teen Sleep Better.” However, students who actively engage in all the stereotypical remedies sometimes still get less sleep because of all the tasks they need to complete.
High school students, not only at MK but also around the world, value and strive to complete assignments, and get good grades while also managing social lives, extracurricular activities, and having fun with loved ones. Sometimes, sleep is not the main priority. Although sleep may not seem like the most important thing on the to-do list, it is what helps us recover after a long day and what makes us ready for our next.
