Tatiana Gutierrez
Editor-in-Chief

“Grades, social life or sleep, pick two,” is a running joke between students who manage to balance their demanding course loads with extracurriculars like sports and jobs.

“I would say that I don’t get sleep because my job runs pretty late,” senior Franny Eklund said. “Once I get home, I tend to be pretty tired, so I want to just hang out for a little. By the time that’s over, I have to start homework, which usually takes a few hours.”

Teens need a little over nine hours of sleep every night to properly function throughout the day, according to the National Sleep Foundation.

“Generally there are a lot of things that can affect somebody who does not get enough sleep,” Dr. Hans Yu, who practices internal medicine said. “You are more likely to get sick, gain weight and lose your concentration and are more forgetful. People become more anxious and jumpy and on edge when they don’t have enough sleep.”

Sleep deprivation can lead to a lower stress threshold, impaired memory and trouble concentrating, according to the National Sleep Foundation.

“I generally get around six hours of sleep during the school week,” Eklund said. “If I don’t finish my homework that night, then I have to wake up early in the morning to finish the rest of it, usually around 5 a.m.”

Chronic lack of sleep can cause hypertension, heart disease, irregular heart rate, stroke and diabetes.

“When you sleep the immune system regenerates cells and produces an enzyme called cytokines,” Yu said. “Cytokines, we believe during times of stress  — like final exams, increases to help us to deal with stress levels. They also seem to help us fight diseases like a cold, viral or bacterial infection, or some sort of inflammation.”

It is natural for teens to not fall asleep by 11 p.m. because biological sleep patterns shift towards later times during adolescence, according to the National Sleep Foundation.

“I don’t have enough time to do my homework,” junior Isabella Coolins said. “I try and get as many hours of sleep as possible and usually get around seven to eight hours a night. Even if there is a night when I don’t have a lot of homework, it can be hard for me to fall asleep super early.”

Fifteen percent of teens reported they get at least eight hours of sleep on weeknights, according to the National Sleep Foundation. While 10 percent reported they get at least eight hours of sleep on weeknights, according to a survey on sleep habits taken by 157 students within the community.

Humans experience five stages of sleep, which last from 90 to 110 minutes with rapid eye movement, or REM, occurring in between stages. During the first two stages of sleep, brain waves slow down and in the third and fourth stages the brain produces delta waves, which are extremely slow brain waves associated with deep sleep.

Individuals who sleep less than the recommended hours may not enter deep sleep which is necessary for complete rest, according to Yu.

“When we’re in our delta stage the body basically rejuvenates,” Yu said. “Everything slows down when you are in delta sleep, and some of the systems become less active which allows for them to reset themselves.”

REM sleep stimulates the region of the brain associated with learning, and sleep plays a role in the consolidation of memory, according to the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

“The few times I stay up late to finish my homework, the following day I am too tired to concentrate or I say things without thinking,” senior Alanna Hu, who has morning practice for crew at 4:45 a.m. said. “Most of the time by second period I am so tired that it is hard to concentrate.”

The consolidation of memory is necessary for learning new information, according to Harvard Medical School.

Sophomore Bella Maestas started the Relaxation Club to offer students a time during the day to rest and reduce any anxiety they might be experiencing.

“I created the club because I wanted to be able to calm down the morning of a test,” Maestas said. “There are a few girls in our community who have anxiety and it’s always great to provide a place where your friends can relax while in a stressful environment.”

Anxiety can cause sleep problems or make existing sleep problems worse, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.

“It’s important for people to get a certain amount of relaxation in their day,” Maestas said. “When your mind doesn’t receive a break, stress builds up. This can cause anxiety and other problems such as meltdowns especially in teens.”

Creating and following a schedule for homework and extracurriculars while incorporating time to sleep can allow for a regular sleep schedule since sleep becomes habitual.

“I do homework on the weekends,” Hu said. “For homework due on Tuesday, the days I have morning practice, I generally do it on Saturdays, or do it the night before if I didn’t stick to my homework schedule I created for myself.”

Ninety-seven percent of Convent freshmen, 88 percent of sophomores and 100 percent of juniors and seniors report homework as a main reason for not sleeping, according to a Broadview survey.

“I lose concentration pretty easily and I can’t really listen to lecture because I’m super sleepy,” Eklund said. “I don’t get to sleep because I am trying to get everything done, but at school I can’t pay attention so it’s a pretty frustrating cycle.”