It’s a well known fact that teenagers need somewhere between 9 and 9½ hours of sleep, but how many teenagers actually get that much sleep every night? Between homework, sports, and any other activities, it is hard to get to bed on time. There are some pretty easy ways to help get more or better sleep.

Keeping a somewhat constant sleep schedule is very important. Your body likes to have  routine. This means you should try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. That being said, sleeping in on the weekends to catch up on sleep is perfectly fine. Sleeping in can be helpful, but make sure not to sleep in too late. Waking up extremely late on a Sunday can make it difficult to get back into the school sleep schedule for Monday.

Taking naps in the early afternoon can is another way to get more sleep, but it can sometimes hinder your sleeping at night. It may be harder for you to fall asleep at night. Taking a 15-20 minute power nap can re-energize you. After coming home from school and finishing your homework, you can lay down and rest until your next activity instead of snacking or watching tv. Also, it is proven that watching tv and playing games on computers or smartphones makes it harder to fall asleep. It’s a good idea to turn off all electronics half an hour before going to sleep. This will allow you more time to settle down and make it easier to fall asleep. There are plenty of other things that can cause trouble falling asleep. Some other things to avoid are caffeine, smoking, drugs, and alcohol.

Exercise is another great way to get better sleep. Instead of watching tv, do some light exercise in the evening to make you tired. Your body will appreciate the rest and you can sleep faster and better. Sometimes getting more sleep is hard, but deep sleep can make you energized.

Nathan Olson, a freshman at BHS, is an outstanding student. He’s outgoing and tried out for hockey. Nathan has hockey practice almost every night. If that isn’t bad enough, some of his practices are very late; in fact, a few practices started as late as 9:00! They START at 9:00! Hockey isn’t the only sport or activity guilty of overloading a student’s schedule. There are many more students who fail to get a sufficient amount of sleep because of after school activities.

We all need to be more aware of loss of sleep. It’s a serious problem that can affect a student’s education. Many people expect too much of students. Between sports, grades, and anything personal, there’s barely any time left to sleep. Getting to bed earlier and getting a better amount of sleep will make everything easier to handle the next day. Sleep is the best way to juggle your busy lifestyle as a teenager.