Aside from all the silly jokes revolving around the idea of not getting enough sleep, in truth, it’s not something to be joking around about. Getting five, four or even three hours of sleep is not something we should be normalizing.

It’s not a surprise that Oak Park High School is a competitive school–read more on managing your schedule better here–and it’s often that some students might feel pressured to take AP and honors classes to excel. Although this topic is debatable through various lenses, what isn’t arguable is the amount of time and effort students put into their work. Students can spend up to 3.5 hours a night on homework alone. 

The “10 minute rule” implies that students should have 10 minutes of homework starting in first grade and work their way up to two hours once graduating high school. Despite these rigorous self-made standards, studies have shown that time spent on homework past two hours can be counterproductive and does more harm than good. And because students are struggling to finish homework at a respectable time, sleep inevitably gets sacrificed and homework quality can also dramatically decrease.  

When OPHS student-athletes were asked how much time they dedicated to their sports, an average of 20-30 hours were recorded–not including the ticking hours spent on the road. Time is already of essence when it comes to finishing homework, let alone sleep, and many student-athletes are left with minimal time to finish work at home, leading some to do work in the car ride to practice or school. 

“You feel so overwhelmed with the sheer amount of homework,” retired cross country student-athlete senior Maggie Ruan said. “You pull an all-nighter and end up getting none of it done.”

Similarly, students who are working outside part-time jobs, or have extended academic extracurriculars spend up to 10 hours, making it difficult to juggle sleep and homework with balance and remaining cheerful for the whole day. And even for those who don’t do outside extracurriculars, taking rigorous classes is beyond stressful. Studying can take hours and can eventually dig into sleeping time, all for the sole purpose of creating a bright future for themselves. 

Students not having any time for themselves, considering the ridiculous amount of work students have to finish, is incredibly harmful towards mental health. How will they have the time to dedicate time towards their own interests and passions outside of school?

93% of high school students admitted to staying up past their bedtime to indulge in social media or other methods of entertainment. And although this seems counterintuitive in getting enough sleep, the cause lies within the psychological domain of procrastinating sleep: revenge bedtime procrastination. 

Students of all ages can be found sacrificing their precious sleeping hours for personal time. Whether this be watching comforting Youtube videos, or staying up late talking to friends after the immense amount of time spent on academic purposes, the effects are difficult to reverse.

As a result, students who are working relentlessly towards their goals can be found dozing off in multiple classes, especially in their second and third classes during the day. Not being able to stay awake for classes doesn’t benefit students, or teachers for that matter. A lack of sleep for students means less cognitive brain power, decreasing ability to solve problems and concentrate. Emotional intelligence and creativity are also hindered. 

The bottom line is, there’s no point sitting in a classroom, mindlessly looking at a smartboard listening to the teacher spurting information at you when your brain is somewhere else. You might as well just stay at home at that point. 

So what can we do instead? A simple and common solution would be a power nap. By taking 15-20 minutes out of the school day for a lights-out, power nap, students are able to get a quick period of time for optimal rest, resulting in increased resilience, better focus and overall alertness. 

“When you nap you recharge your entire system, especially when you’re so stimulated by people, work, interactions and noises,” Ruan said. “Napping literally resets your brain for the next couple of hours that you have to endure. When I’m done napping, I feel reborn.”

Power naps are usually most effective between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. to help students stay awake, during the third or fourth period. This way students can push through the rest of the day with fervent concentration. 

Sleep deprivation is terrible for students, and people in general. Students should be at peak concentration during school hours in order to soak in all the information they can receive during this short period of time. 

“Even if your students look awake, they’re not awake on the inside,” Ruan said. “Period five and period six, my brain has regressed to its primate form, I’m thinking about napping and eating.”

When students doze off, it defeats the whole purpose of effective learning and hinders performance at OPHS. Compare the amount of school time lost to the third or fourth period–a very short amount–for a power nap to rejuvenate students’ minds; it’s a well-thought-out, minimal sacrifice. I mean realistically speaking, what’s there to lose?