Sleep: Why It's Productive and How to Get It
- Elizabeth Sinigaglio
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Picture this: Last night was a late one. You were up doing homework way too late, and now you have an early morning getting to school. School lasts seven hours, but feels way longer since you’re tired. When you get home, your family throws some chores at you, you eat dinner, and do even more homework. That lasts until 10 PM, and now you want to relax. Though you’re exhausted from the day, your hobby (be it gaming, reading, art, etc.) doesn’t take much energy from you. To relax for the first time in about 24 hours, you engage in your hobby before deciding to wind down. Sleep doesn’t come easily, and at this point, it's around 1 AM. Tomorrow, you have to start over.
This may seem like a pretty bleak picture, but it's a frequent reality for many young people in high school, college, or even those who work full-time outside of school. Most people can agree that sleep is good, and resting is important, but why? A day like the one described calls attention to an ever-growing problem: Sleep Habits. The desire - and sometimes need - to pack a day full of absolutely everything can mean that many people end up neglecting sleep as a biological necessity. This is especially true during adolescence, a time when school, home, and internal pressures all converge at a boiling point.
During this period, sleep is particularly important, making it cruel that so many young people struggle with it. Some research indicates that adolescents need about 9 hours of sleep, yet only about 15% actually get that. Sleep loss across all ages is associated with a wide variety of negative health outcomes. Some of these include: elevated cortisol, lowered testosterone, and the development of psychiatric disorders such as depression and anxiety. In particular, cortisol fluctuations are associated with additional health issues such as anxiety, hypertension, diabetes, and increased inflammation. Once again, this is especially risky for adolescents, whose brains are still physically developing.
Being educated about the importance of sleep and how to achieve it is key to preventing the issues associated with sleep loss. For example, finding a solid sleep schedule that supports your circadian rhythm can be highly beneficial. Chief among prevention methods, though, is sleep hygiene. This can take many forms - a few small habitual changes or a complete overhaul. Here are some practices that fall under the positive sleep hygiene umbrella:
Turn off electronic devices an hour before going to bed.
Avoid caffeine past lunch if it energizes you.
Keep meals several hours before bedtime rather than late-night snacking.
Reduce noise that isn’t white noise.
Right before bed, keep the lighting low, then completely off.
Reserve about an hour before bedtime to wind down.
While these changes might not all be immediately possible, and you may not be able to consistently pursue them, small adjustments are the first step toward getting better sleep and forming positive habits.
Getting enough sleep should be a higher priority for everyone, but specifically the younger population. A large and consistent body of interdisciplinary research indicates that sleep is the most important source of our energy and competence on a day-to-day basis. As the Winter of 2026 moves slowly towards Spring, remember to take care of yourself by getting plenty of rest and sleep.
The Teenage Brain by Frances E. Jensen, MD
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