Continuously yawning, as you trudge down the hallway desperately trying to stay awake after the plethora of homework and activities you did the night before. You arrive at your next class, but the feeling of burnout and exhaustion suddenly strikes you.

This is the experience that several high school students go through at least once each school year. Sophomore Ellie McKevitt, for example, is one of these students.

“There definitely are a lot of activities. I am at school for show choir till about 9:30 two nights a week, and whenever we have extra rehearsals I’m here till 10, causing me to have to do my homework only when I get home, causing me [to] go to sleep later.” McKevitt said.  “I typically go to bed at  11:30 on a school night, but a little later on the nights that I’m at school later.”

Her sleep patterns aren’t very uncommon when talking about high school students in general.

In fact, according to the CDC, at least 2 out of 3 high-school-aged teenagers aren’t getting a sufficient amount of sleep every night.

Different events and responsibilities such as sports, clubs, homework, and extracurricular activities outside of school can sometimes prevent high school students from maintaining a healthy sleep schedule.

Sophomore Srinika Ravinuthula is also a busy high school student, managing her sleep schedule along with her other responsibilities.

“My extracurricular activities and homework are what cause me to get less sleep,” Ravinuthula said,  “I usually go to bed around 10:30-11.”

According to The American Academy of Sleep Medicine,  teenagers need to sleep for at least 8–10 hours each day.

Although this is an expectation, high schoolers all over the country are sadly not meeting this criteria.

Excessive social media use in the night can also result in these shifted sleep behaviors.

In fact, according to the Sleep Foundation, social media has two sides. For one, it can help connect students together, but at the same time, it can heavily disrupt sleep patterns.

There are several reasons why a consistent and healthy sleep schedule is important.

Junior Mrittika Mukherjee truly understands the value of a good sleep schedule, and is even implementing one herself, which will help her to avoid long-term issues in the future.

“I set boundaries for myself. I try not to go on my phone at night too much, and I have screen limits so that I’m not on my phone in general, and that really helps,” Mukherjee said.

Furthermore, the National Library of Medicine states that teens typically need more sleep than adults because they are in a time of very fast physical, intellectual, and emotional growth.

Those who receive a poor amount of sleep per day are  more likely to struggle with  academic performance at school as well as more likely to experience mental health issues such as depression.

In fact, according to the CDC, some regular routines that will help promote better sleep quality include going to bed and getting up at the same time every day of the week, maintaining a calm and dark environment when time to sleep, and distancing yourself from caffeine or big meals before bed.

“I want to be able to have good health by prioritizing my body and myself over schoolwork,” Mukherjee said.

These solutions will help promote better sleeping habits among teenagers as a whole, improving their mental, physical, and emotional health.