Sydney Mathis, 21’, Student Life Editor
Staying up late to finish an assignment on time can be one of the most frustrating things for a student. Whether you have a job to attend after school or you struggle from procrastinating, it is hard to get certain assignments done. When you have to stay up late to finish school work while also attending six classes a day, it can pile on a lot of stress. Letting your body get enough sleep is important; you should never sacrifice your health.
Maybe you are feeling burnt out from school, and maybe you are procrastinating a lot, but when you get more sleep, you actually increase your productivity. Getting a good night’s sleep can actually improve your mindset for school and work. Not getting enough sleep can even be compared to being intoxicated, or, at minimum, feeling not in the right headspace.
If you are tired in school, you are less likely to retain information and eventually not do as well on assignments or tests. You can become irritated, frustrated, unhappy, unmotivated and sluggish. You won’t get your work done when you are running on only five hours of sleep.
Planning out your day in advance is a great way to manage your sleep schedule. Taking the time out to write down your plans in a journal or even utilize the notes app on your phone can help you become aware of your responsibilities and allow you to make more time for sleep. When you have to get up at around 6:00 a.m. for school, you should try to go to bed at around 9:00 p.m. to ensure you are getting enough sleep. Writing down what you do every day can help you schedule more time for sleep in order to feel well rested.
Eating right and getting enough water can also affect your sleep schedule. Eating unhealthy foods can cause you to not feel well and lose sleep because of it. If you are dehydrated, you probably will not sleep as much for your body will be struggling to keep itself going. Although, it is not just physical health that affects sleep, but also mental health as well. People with extreme anxiety or depression may have trouble sleeping at night. Anxiety can cause trouble breathing as well as symptoms of insomnia. Lighting candles, taking melatonin supplements, or even using essential oils with a diffuser can help get rid of these anxious feelings. When attending school during a pandemic, a lot of people have developed these kinds of feelings. Now that everyone is in school, some have lost all of this confidence and productivity for in-person school.
The best thing you can do for your body is sleep, so keep in mind that you may be feeling bad just because you are not getting enough sleep. This is something that everyone needs to survive, just as much as one needs food and water. Taking care of yourself is important, so do not be afraid to take a break once in a while and relax. Even if you have a lot of work to do, if you feel burnt out, put yourself first and start counting sheep.
Lyon Life 