Whether it be the fault of technology, school, or even just other daily distractions, many students have a hard time developing healthy sleeping schedules. The importance of having healthy habits, while acknowledged by all medical officials, is often ignored. Even though people view sleep as a crucial pillar to their health, they are distracted by the world around them. Furthermore, the detrimental effects unhealthy sleeping habits can have are not as widely known as other health issues. Teenagers, especially, are strongly influenced by new technological developments, the pressure school places on them, and a global pandemic that keeps them inside most of the day. It is easy to ignore your body telling you to sleep and stay on your phone for one more hour or turn in the essay at exactly 11:59 p.m. because you always have weekends to catch up on sleep. However, this habit not only affects your brain, body, and attitude, but also can cause long-term issues. 

Harvard Health explains this further in their article about how sleep affects long-term memory later in life. The Chief Medical Director, Howard Lewine, reports that “when it comes to memory, sleep is a Goldilocks issue: both too much and too little aren’t good.” Lewine further explains a scientific experiment conducted in the 1980s which observed that under-sleepers performed worse than women with better healthy sleep schedules. The experiment centered around testing memory over a six-year period and indicated that under-sleepers were mentally two years older than healthy sleepers. While being mentally older does not seem like a detrimental effect, the study explains that not getting enough sleep can cause high blood pressure, limiting how much blood gets to the brain, which alludes to future memory and thinking problems. Lewine mentions another observation that studies beta- amyloids in mice. He explains that in mice, sleep- deprivation causes a higher production of beta- amyloids, which serves as a model for human brains.  He states that “in humans, beta amyloid deposits in the brain are linked to declines in memory and thinking and also increase the risk of dementia.” Furthermore, Lewine displays the relationship between sleep and memory as a cycle by explaining that lack of sleep can affect memory but issues with memory and thinking can also cause sleeping problems. 

Unhealthy habits surrounding sleep can also negatively impact one in the short term. Freshman Jacob McIntyre states,“Not getting enough sleep makes it hard for me to perform.” Not only can maintaining a healthy sleep schedule keep your body healthy, but also improve your overall performance in everyday life. Like McIntyre, senior Jennifer Jeon shares, “If I get too much sleep, I don’t get very many things done.” Both McIntyre and Jeon explain that sleep is essential to their daily performance and it is very difficult to function without it. Although Jeon makes it a goal to get the right amount of sleep, she explains that it is not always possible. It must be acknowledged that the reason people, especially students, stay up late is to prepare themselves for the next day so they can perform well. Juniors Katie and Sophie Ahn explain that they must stay up late to fulfill the time they need away from technology. It is possible to go straight from school to homework but maintaining a healthy mental life is just as important, which leaves everyone with the difficult question: how do you maintain your work life while keeping good mental health, especially during a pandemic? The Ahns respond to this question by stating that they “love online school because they get more sleep” and that allows them to perform during the day and stay mentally healthy. The decrease in time spent in going to and from school has given them more time to sleep and get ready in the morning. However, not everyone agrees with that remote learning has been beneficial to their sleeping habits; sophomore Jake Hancock emphasizes that online learning has made his sleep schedule worse because he “thinks that staying up later doesn’t really matter that much.” However, Hancock further explained that his sleep schedule, although slightly altered by remote learning, has not suffered tremendously. His attitude towards getting up, however, has changed because he has extra time in the morning. 

Healthy sleeping schedules are essential to live a productive lifestyle so here is what you can do to improve how well you sleep. Experts emphasize that it is important to set a routine for yourself. Not only will going to bed and waking up at the same time every day be beneficial to your sleeping health, but having consistency throughout your life is essential to your mental wellness. Furthermore, picking a time when you decide to stop looking at a screen or blue light before you go to sleep will help you fall asleep faster. If you enjoy taking naps, it is recommended that you limit your naps to 20-30 minutes, because if you go longer, you may not be tired that night. It is also very important to balance a healthy diet, as going to bed hungry or eating right before you sleep can keep you up at night. Especially try to avoid drinking things with caffeine in them before you go to bed. Harvard Health recommends that if you are having trouble sleeping at night, try moving to a different space and do something relaxing that will help you fall asleep. With all this, keep in mind that doing what is right for you is the most important and as you get older, developing sleeping habits will improve your quality of life.