Sleep is a strange thing we humans must do daily, and it is hard to obtain once the teenage years roll in. “Sleep-deprived teens are more likely to report anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors,” according to the Sleep Foundation. The medical world, from places such as Stanford Medicine, estimates that “70% of high schoolers are not getting enough sleep.” Lack of sleep has been due to various factors, including the biological shift in their circadian clocks. Though the doctors say 8 hours, CCHS students say otherwise.
One factor when determining sleep schedule is the distance from school to home. So, I interviewed a variety of Dons coming with differing commute times. One person I interviewed has to take the bus that arrives at school at 7:30 every morning. Wrestler Nano Sosa says you get extra sleep from sleeping on the bus or in class. I asked him how much sleep he gets during wrestling season. “During the season, most nights I was getting 6 hours or less of sleep,” said Nano with his signature big grin.
Elijah May, a Drama member and choir ensemble, has a 20-minute commute to school. According to May, the average time he goes to bed is 10 or 11. Though the commute is not an issue preventing good sleep, he did feel that, on average, the 1-3 hours of homework somewhat serves as a roadblock to him getting good sleep. “My only advice to procrastinators is to have time management so you can finish work as efficiently as possible and have better chances of getting more sleep,” said Elijah May.
Makayla Gibbons’ greatest love in life is dancing. She is so dedicated as a member of the CCHS dance team that somebody can only describe her schedule as grueling. “We would have morning practices at 5:30, then regular practice after school, but then we would have another practice that wouldn’t be over till 10 pm,” she explained. I asked her about the effects that this had on school. According to Makayla, there was no homework time during this period, and they had to nap to catch up on sleep. I then asked her how long it took to get to school. Answering with a humorous look on her face, Makayla says it takes her 15 minutes to get to school overall.
In general, the conclusions I made were fascinating. Students with the shortest commute times had the worst sleep due to busy schedules. It seems that changing school start times matters little when students get home late from their activities. The real question is how much a student is willing to take on. Is the price of sleep worth the participation in extracurricular activities? Perhaps when one asks how to get more sleep, one must first ask if they have the time to sleep.
Isabella Barroso • Sep 18, 2024 at 4:34 PM
I liked how Campbell made his claim: “Though the doctors say 8 hours, CCHS students say otherwise.” By interviewing students of different backgrounds, to gain an understanding of CCHS student’s sleep habits and overall schedules, Campbell was able to conclude that Don’s get far less sleep than recommended, some as little as 5 hours a night. He found that the real question of determining hours of sleep was based on the amount of extracurricular activities in which students participated.
Robert Scott • Sep 18, 2024 at 1:10 PM
I like how this article shows some ways to get more sleep, such as taking a nap during a long car ride. I also like how it shows the importance of not procrastinating work and saving it for the last minute.
Eliot Falls • Sep 18, 2024 at 1:09 PM
I like this article because it is very say to read through and doesn’t go through every single little detail. I also really like the variety of personalities chosen to interview. Elijah May seems so studious, whereas Nano Sosa openly admits to sleeping in class. The stark difference between the personalities of the people chosen to interview leads to a more broad view of the full idea.
Aaron • Sep 18, 2024 at 1:07 PM
The article was overall great. The hook using the Sleep foundation quote had me interested in the first second I read and the comments left by other CCHS students gave me a good idea of how sleep deprivation happens in real life. I felt that Campbell’s study and data was very accurate to real life and the reasons teens don’t get sleep, especially the issue on procrastination. I personally and other students sometimes struggle with having to finish our homework done on time without staying late, so I appreciate that the article included advice on not procrastinating and finishing your homework early.
Kurt Yan • Sep 18, 2024 at 1:07 PM
I like how the author of this article gives us different point of views from different students. He explains his point very well using different examples from real life students from CCHS. 8 hours sleep is good for high schoolers, but high schoolers don’t have time to sleep, that’s very interesting, and in some ways it’s funny. This article is very well written.
Zaysia King-Boyd • Sep 18, 2024 at 1:06 PM
What mainly stuck out to me the most of the variety in the collection of data. The article provides personal interviews that enhance the claim that is conveyed. Overall, the topic of High Schoolers and sleep is very interesting to observe and intrigued me right off the bat.
Khloe Lopez • Sep 18, 2024 at 1:05 PM
I thought this overall article was very interesting as well as insightful. I liked how the author asked 3 people abut their perspective for morning and sleep schedule. I thought it good to have all the point of views, so that we as readers, can compare and contrast the different views. Plus, with the interviews we also had “data” from the amount of time it took each student to do their extra-curricular, as well how much homework they had. I also liked how the author included perspective as well as real data/facts from other institutions. Overall the entire article was an enjoyable and insightful read.
Riley Danielson • Sep 18, 2024 at 9:47 AM
I like how this article begins and how the author interviews different students to give us different points of views. We’re all busy and usually don’t have time to think about how much sleep we’re going to get. All students worry about is homework, studying, and sports, although sports and homework usually interfere with each other. I feel like time management is a good solution to our problems, and that the article is overall written well.
Ella Battistel • Sep 18, 2024 at 9:46 AM
What stuck out to me is how more than half (70%) of students aren’t getting enough sleep. Another thing that stuck out to me is how students with longer commutes can take a nap on the way to school which causes them to get more sleep.
Keela • Sep 18, 2024 at 9:46 AM
I liked how this article showcased the perspectives of different students at CCHS. I found the statistic from the Sleep Foundation to be very interesting. Like the students interviewed, I often have to sacrifice sleep for extracurricular activities, rehearsals, and homework.
David Warren • Sep 18, 2024 at 8:15 AM
This article really showed the truth about sleep and what the sacrifice is for some students in order to get enough sleep. The truth being that time management is the answer is so helpful to me with a big commute time to school.
Keira Tichbon • Sep 18, 2024 at 8:09 AM
I really like the thought process behind this article. Being an athlete, I’ve come to love naps and sleep. While my parents have always been strict on sleeping, I understand how important it is to get a good night sleep.