White teenage boy with glasses sitting at desk with hand on face, eyes closed

Sleepy Students: What Being Tired Does to Teens

If you're a teen, you're probably not getting enough sleep—and that's not good! Here's why sleep is so important and how to prioritize it as early as tonight.

Are you getting enough sleep? Spoiler alert: If you’re in high school, probably not. A scary number of high school students barely reach the recommended number of hours of sleep each night, and 60%–70% of teens suffer from some form of sleep deprivation. And sleep deprivation is a big problem. Sure, many students have heard—or said—the mantra, “Sleep is for the weak.” Besides, you can get good grades, be in nine different clubs, play on three sports teams, serve as class president, and get by with three hours of sleep a night all at once, right? As long as you have caffeine, right?! This is not exactly true. And by “not exactly,” I mean not in the slightest.

Sleep is just as essential to your body as breathing. Drinking enough caffeine to kill a small moose will not make it better. If sleep is for the weak, then the weak have better self-control, better focus, and a better chance of avoiding car crashes. Here’s a closer look at some of the effects of being sleep-deprived among teens and young adults.

Bye bye, focus

You know you can’t focus in class when you’re falling asleep in your chair, but if you’re constantly tired, you’re probably not focusing well the rest of the time too, even if you feel okay. “Sleep deprivation affects memory, cognition, and motivation, and the effects are compounded when it's long-term,” reports NPR’s Anya Kamenetz. It’s no surprise that not getting enough sleep also impacts your academic performance in high school—which is probably the whole reason you’re staying up late and working so hard in the first place.

If you’ve gone an extended amount of time without proper sleep, you may feel fidgety, be unable to focus on one task, or have a hard time listening to a lecture. Sound familiar? They’re also some of the most common symptoms of ADHD. Psychiatrist Allison Baker says that “it’s an easy misdiagnosis to make.”

Related: Helpful Tips for Better Attention and Focus in the Classroom

So long, self-control

Many things we attribute to “teen angst” may actually be “sleep-deprived angst.” At one point or another, every high schooler knows the feeling of being bone-weary and willing to give an arm to just go home and sleep. Obviously, when you’re that tired, moodiness is common and people can snap at the slightest agitation. What you might not realize, however, is that lack of sleep can keep you in that agitated state all the time. When people have less than the recommended amount of sleep, they often become more angsty than they would naturally be. Teens who don’t get enough sleep are also more likely to self-medicate with things like alcohol or drugs to feel better.

Hello, accidents

Everyone knows how dangerous driving while intoxicated is, but many people don’t know that driving while tired can be just as bad. A study from the University of New South Wales in Australia and the University of Otago in New Zealand found that after being awake for 18 hours straight, drivers were just as impaired as if their blood alcohol level was .05—over half the legal limit of .08. That means driving drowsy is just as dangerous as driving tipsy. This doesn’t even account for the fact that those same sleep-deprived teen drivers aren’t as experienced behind the wheel either, which could make for a double-whammy of disaster.

What to do about sleep deprivation

In short: Go to sleep! And try to get at least seven hours of quality sleep a night. You really do need it. You might be thinking, “Umm, sure. But my French paper isn’t going to write itself. Or my college applications. Or my high school yearbook write-up. Or…” But it’s important to make sleep a priority. Take a step back and see where you can rearrange your schedule and commitments. Maybe say no to some things. Ask for help from friends and family. And remember: You’ll probably be a better student—and get more done—when you’ve gotten enough sleep.  

If you have trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep, there are a few things you can try. Work on eliminating stress, come up with a calming ritual before bedtime, and make your bedroom as quiet and dark as possible. If these tips don’t help and you continue to have trouble going to or staying asleep—or you think you have serious insomnia—check with the school nurse or your doctor to make sure there isn’t an underlying medical issue. In the meantime, check out these Top Sleep Hygiene Advice for Tired Students. But seriously, if you’re reading this at 1:00 am, log off and go to sleep.

Related: How to Optimize Your Sleep While Living in a Dorm

Good sleep is essential for students to maintain their health, academic performance, and overall well-being. Despite the pressures and busy schedules high schoolers face, finding ways to ensure you get adequate rest is crucial. By making sleep a priority and implementing strategies to improve your sleep quality, you can achieve a healthier balance and perform better in all aspects of life.

After you get a good night's rest, find more advice to improve your life as a busy student with all the content under our "health and wellness" tag.

Like what you’re reading?

Join the CollegeXpress community! Create a free account and we’ll notify you about new articles, scholarship deadlines, and more.

Join Now

About Erica West

Erica West

Hello there! My name is Erica, and I am happy to make your acquaintance. Calculus, reading, viola, and traveling: these are a few of my favorite things (I also like musicals). I don't have a favorite book, but my favorite genre is definitely historical fiction. I am the viola section leader in my high school's highest orchestra and in a successful string quartet. I plan to major in Mathematics when I go to college then go on to study law and become a patent lawyer.

 

Join our community of
over 5 million students!

CollegeXpress has everything you need to simplify your college search, get connected to schools, and find your perfect fit.

Join CollegeXpress

College Quick Connect

Swipe right to request information.
Swipe left if you're not interested.

University of Miami

Coral Gables, FL


Laura Wallace

Laura Wallace

High School Class of 2019

My favorite part of CollegeXpress is that it features student writers so I get an inside perspective from students slightly older and farther along than me. I realize that other college websites also utilize student writers; however, I relate the most to the college writers that I read articles from on CollegeXpress.

Yuhlani Patterson

Yuhlani Patterson

High School Student

CollegeXpress has helped me find so many scholarships that fit me. They match me to colleges I have specific interest in to make searching for colleges way easier and more efficient. CollegeXpress refers me to schools that have my major of interest and backup schools if I want to change my mind. CollegeXpress also gives out their own scholarships, so you have even more of a chance at gaining multiple scholarships. This website has helped me de-stress from the pressure of not being able to afford college, [of finding] what schools are right for me, and how to find easy access to scholarships that most people never knew existed.

Brooke Maggio

Brooke Maggio

High School Class of 2021

CollegeXpress has helped me tremendously in my college search in narrowing down the schools I’m interested in. Using the college search tool, I was able to narrow down my choices to schools that matched what I was looking for. I also used CollegeXpress for their scholarship search, which helped me find scholarships that I meet the requirements of.

Sadie Hartmann

Sadie Hartmann

High School Class of 2021

I'm a senior in high school, and CollegeXpress has helped me in so many ways this year in trying to navigate the process of deciding and committing to a university. The COVID-19 Student Resource Center has helped me many times with the most up-to-date and accurate information, along with financial aid and student life [advice]. During these uncertain times, CollegeXpress has been a great recourse to relieve the stress as a senior. Along with the COVID-19 Student Resource Center, I'm constantly using the extremely helpful tools off the site to aid me during this stressful process. Tools like the lists and rankings of universities have been the most beneficial. I've also used the site to receive expert advice on topics like financial aid. Finally, CollegeXpress has helped me easily apply for several scholarships. I'm thankful to be given the chance to win a scholarship to lessen the burden of my college debt.

Nikole Dixon

Nikole Dixon

$500 Refer-a-Friend Scholarship Winner

Toward the beginning of last year, I was searching for scholarships to apply to through my school, town, websites online, and anything else I could find. I asked tons of questions [online] about scholarships and the best places to find them because I was desperate and needed as many as I could find. I came across a ton of bogus websites, but as soon as I found CollegeXpress, I knew I had to tell other people about it. It was definitely the most helpful site I came across, so I told my friends about it. CollegeXpress is definitely a website worth giving as a source.