At Ralston Valley High School, 104 students were asked how many hours of sleep they need to function well at school the next day, and 70% of those students said they needed over 8 hours.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, teenagers from 13-18 years old need 8 to 10 hours of sleep per night. Along with doctors, many students have agreed. 

Maddie Unrein, senior at Eaglecrest High School, takes all honors and AP classes and is a multi-sport athlete.  “I usually get 5-7 hours of sleep depending on how much homework I have but I need 7 hours of sleep to function well at school,” Maddie said.

Many students, especially teenagers, participate in various after school activities. Whether it is athletics, playing an instrument, or rehearsing for the school play, students still have homework that needs to be done. This often means that students get to bed later, which can lead to a shortage of sleep. 

However, even if students do not participate in any after school activity, some students still lack sleep. It depends on the type of student but depending on whether or not activities and homework keep them up late, they still need their sleep.

Jacob Moreno, a freshman at Ralston Valley, takes a more traditional class load and likes listening to music and reading books after school. He gets the same amount of sleep as Maddie does even though they are involved in completely different activities. “I need at least 7 hours of sleep,” Jacob said.

Not getting enough sleep can also affect productivity at school or a student’s social life outside of school. “The amount of sleep affects my social life because I don’t get to stay up late talking to my friends but rather doing homework and sometimes after school I just want to sleep instead of hanging out with friends,” said Maddie. According to the survey, most students do agree that sleep is important for school.