For many high school students, being tired is no longer occasional, it is expected. According to the CDC, the average teenager should sleep 8-10 hours every 24 hours. But for most students this is not a reality. So, between demanding class schedules, extracurricular activities, jobs, and endless homework, how much sleep are students actually getting? This article will use interviews with one student from each grade, freshman to senior, to explore how today's Rowland Hall students balance demanding schedules, and the sleep they lose in the process. 

Freshman Mina Maidon Felker's schedule shows the demanding pace of high school life. Between taking seven classes, being a swim team member, acting in school plays, vocal lessons, and attending school clubs, Mina says she averages only around 6 to 8 hours of sleep on weekdays. Most nights, she stays up working until around 11:00 p.m. before waking up around 6:45 a.m. the next morning. She estimates that she spends nearly 4 hours on homework each night, despite not currently taking any AP classes. For Mina, stress and score are the biggest factors affecting her sleep schedule. While weekends allow her to catch up with around 10 hours of sleep, her very bed time each night shows how inconsistent student sleep schedules can become. Even as a freshman, academics and extracurriculars already leave little time for rest.

Looking at Nina Anderson's schedule, we can see how quickly sleep can disappear as academic and extracurricular demands increase. Nina is currently taking seven classes, including AP Computer Sscience, while also playing volleyball. Between practices, homework, commuting, and studying for tests, she says she averages only around 5 hours of sleep on weekdays. Most nights Nina goes to bed around 1:00 a.m. and wakes up at 6:00 a.m. for school the next morning. She also spends around 3 to 4 hours on homework each night, leaving little time to rest after finishing school and volleyball commitments. Although she sleeps around 8 hours on weekends, it is not enough. Nina’s overall schedule reflects the exhaustion many high school students experience on a regular basis. 

For Alexa Tracey, balancing academics and aAthletics has become a daily challenge. Alexa is taking seven classes, including three AP courses. Outside of school, she captains both the basketball and soccer teams while also playing lacrosse. In addition to sports, she occasionally babysits and dog sits, adding even more responsibilities to her already busy schedule. Alexa says she averages around 7 hours of sleep on weekdays, usually going to bed around 11:00 p.m. or 12:00 a.m. and waking up between 6:00 and 7:00 a.m. She spends around 2 to 3 hours on homework each night, but commitments such as late sSports games, chores, and spending time with friends often cut further into her sleep. Although she gets slightly more rest on weekends, between 8 andto 9 hours, her agenda still remains packed. Alexa's experience highlights how Rowland Hhall students often sacrifice sleep in order to balance academics, leadership roles, sports, and personal responsibilities. 

Senior Amelie Tan’s schedule reflects the intense balancing many students face by their final year of high school. Though Amelie only is currently taking six classes, three of them are AP or aAdvanced courses, which makes things more complicated.  Alongside her academics, she participates in track and field, debate, piano, and works at the lower school. Due to her demanding schedule, she averages around 7 hours of sleep each weekday, typically going to bed around 11:00 p.m. and waking up at 7:30 a.m. she says she spends about 2 hours on homework each night, but factors such as tests, and extracurricular activities can significantly impact her sleep schedule as well. On weekends, Amelie is only able to catch up slightly, averaging around 9 hours of sleep. Her experience demonstrates how seniors often juggle many different activities and workloads that make sleep difficult to maintain even during the final year of high school.

Through each perspective, we can see that pressure to succeed often makes sleep a much lower priority than deserved. From freshmen adjusting to new expectations to seniors finalizing college resumes, exhaustion has become part of the daily routine. Not only is sleep being challenged, so is general well being. So as a school we need to ask ourselves, what can we do? How can we change this? If we can figure that out, the student body would grow and thrive in a way it never has before.