How much sleep do you get at night? What prevents your sleep? More than a quarter of middle school-aged students get less than the recommended amount of sleep each night – eight hours – according to a 2014 study by the National Sleep Foundation’s  combination of homework, technology, and after-school activities are adversaries of sleep for Benjamin Middle School students.

So why is sleep so important? It’s vital to help repair and prepare for the next day.  The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) states that sleep helps relax and repair muscles and, tissue and muscle repair happens, and release growth hormones. Also according to an NSF study, when children were put to bed later than usual, their teachers reported that the students’ academic performance was hindered when juxtaposed to before the study took place. Recent studies, such as one done by Reuters Health, show that a lack of sleep can actually lead to weight gain, and over time, obesity. “While you’re sleeping, your brain is preparing for the next day. It’s forming new pathways to help you learn and remember information. Studies show that a good night’s sleep improves learning.” as stated on the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s website (http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/). With an inadequate amount of sleep, students are not able to perform their best, very possibly resulting in a drop in scores.

“I try to get nine hours of sleep [a night, but] sometimes it can be eight with homework,”

eighth-grader Lily Smyth explained. According to a he Benjamin Middle School survey of 89 students, less than a quarter of them reported that they get the necessary eight hours or more of sleep. Almost fifty percent of students blame homework as one of the main issues for not getting enough time to rest. The students that receive four to five hours of sleep according to the survey ranked homework (12), sports (4), and trouble falling asleep (3), in that order, as sleep stealers.

Ms. Mallory Gleason, the Middle School’s  seventh grade science teacher, agrees that homework can contribute to a loss of sleep, but also thinks students’ dependence on technology has a lot to do with it., “Homework is not the only thing. I want to point out the importance of knowing that studies have shown that looking at screens can prevent [the] ability to sleep normally.” Mr. Jeffrey Cavallo, the dean of students, concurs with Gleason and has often pointed out to students during assemblies the importance of a good night’s rest. “I would speculate that possibly any time [spent using]technology could impede [one’s] amount of sleep, whether it’s text messaging or searching the Internet,” he said. With this generation juggling academics, athletics, the arts, and a social life, it is a mix of all these top priorities that creates the ever-growing need to get more sleep.

“A lot of the kids are overscheduled to a certain degree, “said Middle School Science Department Chair Gabriele St. Martin,.  “They’re participating in everything; sports, and music, and homework, and everything else that they have going on in their lives. They need to get everything done before they go to bed, so they end up staying up too late, and then they’re going to bed stressed, and they can’t fall asleep.”

Besides the health consequences s that go along with a lack of sleep, there are also consequences related to performance. If students aren’t getting enough sleep, their academics may suffer which could lead to disciplinary action. According to the Benjamin School Student-Parent Handbook, “…when a student’s average at the end of a quarter is below a “C” or if he/she earns an “F” in a core course at the end of any semester or quarter, the student will be placed on ‘Academic Probation.’ The student will not be eligible to participate in interscholastic games or non-academic co-curricular activities until his/her average improves.” Here at Benjamin, the three A’s (academics, arts, athletics) are cornerstones of the School’s culture, so when a student is not doing well in any of these, it is taken quite seriously.

Whether it is technology or extra-curricular activities, many students at Benjamin seem to be suffering from a lack of adequate and consistent sleep. However, it needs to be one of their top priorities. “When you’re sleeping, your body is recovering and also it’s preparing itself, and it also gives your body a chance to rejuvenate for the next day,” explained Ms. Erica Lazarus, a competitive triathlete and the sixth-grade health and physical education teacher. So, next time you want to watch that one extra episode of your favorite TV show, just record it and watch it the next day. Consider the effects lack of sleep can put upon you, and just how crucial it is to get those zzz’s.