Wake up. School. Homework. Eat. Sleep. Repeat. This cycle sounds pretty easy, not stressful, manageable. Unfortunately, many students do not have this convenient schedule. Whether it be a track practice or orchestra rehearsal, these testy timetables are being interrupted and bombarded by more commitments than some teens are ready for. So the question is simple: why are teens so tired—is it overworking, social technology or just the body clock of an adolescent?
Over scheduling and overworking are definitely common dilemmas among students across the nation. This problem is especially evident in a performing arts school, like Savannah Arts Academy, where rehearsals are weekly, lessons are frequent, and practices are everyday.
Casey Aultman is a senior, a two year Chatham Area Rower and in the top ten percent of her class, who juggles more than her share most of the time. “I have to be always on my game—making sure that I don’t miss any deadlines. I have rowing everyday, interviews, church and life here and there,” Casey jokes but this is the life of many students.
This life, on a timetable, is the product of the pressures that go with college applications, high-stakes entrance exams and the desire to stand out not only in everyday life but on paper too. A lengthy resume of activities, experience and well roundedness ranks high among competitive colleges. Unfortunately, these resume builders often push sleep to the back burner.
To not mention technology as an aspect of a teenager’s life would be far fetched. Teens are constantly connected to their social life through text messages, Facebook, e-mails and chat rooms just to name a few. Many times the social life of a student extends past midnight, all due to the temptation to text or chat with friends from the comfort of their bedroom.
Senior Emily Dawson confesses, “Between Facebook and texting, it is difficult for me to go to bed at a decent hour. I admit that it has unfortunately affected my ability to stay awake during the school day.”
Besides schedules and social lives, teens have another force that is working against them: their bodies. Through normal hormonal changes the internal clock of the adolescent is transformed during the high school years. This internal clock influences body temperature, sleep cycles, and appetite. The biological and psychological processes that follow the cycle of a person’s body clock are called circadian rhythms. Before adolescence, these circadian rhythms direct most children to naturally fall asleep around 8 or 9 p.m., but puberty changes a teen's internal clock, delaying the time he or she starts feeling sleepy — often until 11 p.m. or later.
“To feel tired as a teen is natural. Your body is changing and school can be stressful. But [teens] must be mindful of this and strive for a good night’s rest,” says Sandra Morgan a registered pediatric nurse at Memorial Hospital.
Between these three opposing forces—school, body and social life—it makes it hard for any student to be awake and alert “twenty-four/seven” but the needed rest should be a priority. Time management is of the essence and balance in life, school and rest should be the ultimate goal.