To Sleep, or Not to Sleep?
We’ve all heard it before: “Teenagers need at least eight hours of sleep to function properly.” But let’s be honest, who actually gets eight hours of sleep every night (or on any night, for that matter)? If you’re like the average high schooler, juggling school work, extracurriculars, doom scrolling, and late-night Netflix binges, you most likely get far less sleep than is recommended. Yet, many students seem to be able to function well, and others even thrive on only three to four hours of sleep. So, is the 8-hour rule just a myth?
Unfortunately for the night owls, no—the 8-hour rule is not just a myth; getting eight hours of sleep does indeed play a crucial role in keeping your brain in tip-top condition. Sleep is divided into cycles of NREM (N1, N2, N3) and REM sleep, both of which are crucial for memory consolidation and emotional regulation, among other things. The recommended eight hours ensures that your brain progresses sufficiently through four to five of these cycles.
When you sleep, your brain transfers information from your short-term to your long-term memory, allowing you to bring memories from one day to the next. It also regulates your emotions and prepares you to think clearly and handle stress, which is why you may be grumpy or groggy after sleeping late. Additionally, your body releases growth hormones and repairs your body when you sleep, which is especially important for teens. Constantly skimping on sleep can stunt your growth and hinder your cognitive development.
Contrary to common belief, however, research shows that getting little sleep the night before a test does not have a direct impact on your score. So, yes, you can go ahead and attempt to cram the entire quarter’s worth of lessons the night (or morning…) before the test. Statistically speaking, it does not matter whether you get two or eight hours of sleep the night before. If you’re banking on the amount of sleep you get instead of the amount of knowledge you have, you’ll probably fail either way.
According to these studies, the sleep that actually does impact grades is the sleep leading up to the test. Essentially, while it doesn’t matter if you sleep late the night right before a test, it does help significantly if you sleep consistently well in the weeks leading up to the test.
Because of the large impact sleep can have on students and academic performance, many have advocated for starting classes at 8:30 AM or later. Schools that have adopted later start times report improved attendance, grades, and moods. This is because children generally start sleeping later when they hit their teenage years. And no, this is not just because of procrastination or social media. There is actually a scientific reasoning behind why this happens to so many.
During puberty, teenagers undergo a circadian shift. This causes their bodies to release melatonin (the hormone that helps you fall asleep) around one to two hours later than usual. Additionally, sleep pressure, which is what makes people feel tired, builds up considerably slower. This means that teenagers can stay up for longer without feeling tired. Throw homework, extracurriculars, gadgets, and early school start times into the mix, and it’s no wonder most teenagers are nowhere near getting eight hours of sleep a night.
While some students might succeed temporarily on minimal sleep, they’re the exception, not the rule. So, the next time you’re debating between “just one more” of whatever it is you’re doing and the sweet embrace of your bed, remember the consequences of each choice. That extra hour of fun each night will leave you tired and your body begging for rest, and school will only seem all the more daunting when your brain only has enough energy to function at 30% power.
Sources:
https://www.cell.com/trends/cognitive-sciences/abstract/S1364-6613(19)30260-8
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41539-019-0055-z
https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2015/10/among-teens-sleep-deprivation-an-epidemic.html
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3212860/pdf/ccrpm-5-2011-071.pdf
https://www.apa.org/topics/children/school-start-times#
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neural-circuits/articles/10.3389/fncir.2017.00061/full
https://medicine.uodiyala.edu.iq/uploads/AMA%20Files/Files/Student%20Research/2021/.pdf
