According to the website Healthline, a full night’s rest is needed for the human body to function and develop properly. Without eight to ten hours of rest, studies show that some people may feel sluggish, moody and depressed which can lead to higher risks of chronic health problems and cognitive dysfunction. Due to high levels of school work, social interests and extracurricular activities, high school students make up the majority of those who are sleep deprived.

As a competitive skier, Peyton Valentine, 9, has ski practice that requires her absence two out of the five days of school. She practices at Echo Mountain in west Evergreen, which is approximately an hour and a half away from the school. Beginning at five o’clock in the evening, each ski practice is at least two hours long.

Valentine will usually begin her homework after nine at night. Currently taking all honors classes, Valentine’s homework hours range from two to three hours on a daily basis. Valentine believes that this schedule leaves her sleep deprived as she goes to bed anywhere between twelve and three in the morning.

“It’s affected my focus in class because I can’t obtain all the information right, and then, there will be days where I’m running late because I wanted to oversleep. I’ll forget my glasses at home, I won’t be able to learn it as much, and I’ll be doing really bad because I can’t really see what the teachers are doing and my mood gets grumpier,” Valentine said.

Valentine finds herself falling behind in her work and she has had to relying on notes and schoolwork from her friends. Without a teacher to go over the new curriculum with her, Valentine is staying up later in order to understand that day’s lessons.

“Everyone gets 50 percent off on any late work and so I will try to stay up and finish it so it won’t be late and then I lose more sleep,” Valentine said.

Jacob Larsen, 9, is finding himself to be a sleep-deprived student due to the amount of work he is given conflicting with his participation in sports. He is currently a referee and a field hockey  player. His practices, though inconsistent, last approximately five hours, which causes him to start his assignments later at night. Coming home exhausted from practice and lack of sleep, he slacks off his homework which causes his grades to suffer.

“A lot of the time I have to choose between classes. For instance, in my English class, I had to turn in my essay late because of the Biology homework I had to do and the quiz I had to study for,” Larsen said, “I’m sure all my teachers think I don’t do any work, but it’s just that I do work for other classes so I have to kind of even it out. I’m not gonna do work for one class and no work for another class, I have to do some work for each of the classes”.

Sleep deprivation has become an issue seen in many other students worldwide. In today’s age, many students are taking on numerous responsibilities and it is forming an issue that is in the progress of being recitified.Lauren Kim
Peyton Valentine, 9, falling asleep during her biology class.