Every day in school there is always that one person who you will find sleeping in class. Student sleep can vary; they can either sleep too much or not get enough sleep.

Research from the Centers for Disease Control shows that 77 percent of high school students were recorded as having insufficient sleep. There are many outcomes to lack of student sleep, but one of the most obvious is how grades are affected.

Teenagers are at that point in life where they can conduct themselves and make a schedule for themselves and often sleep isn’t prioritized. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 22.5 percent of high school students have jobs, so that’s another responsibility they have to balance.

“It’s hard to find a balance between sleep, spending time with my family, and having to complete all the homework I get nearly every night,” said student Taylor Clayton.

Clayton also said on some days like the weekends it gets hard to balance because she has chores to complete, but she has to cut her free time short because she has to find time to complete her homework. She also believes that teachers should consider sleep when developing assignments and homework should be limited to a certain amount each night.

Some students who sleep too much may become less productive and feel fatigued, and they tend to find that they don’t have enough time in their day to do homework, projects, or any upcoming due assignments. This leads to a drop in their grades. A study from Canada-based Douglas Research Centre shows up to 24 percent of teenage students have reported their grades dropped because of sleepiness.

Students’ sleep schedules affect not only their academic performance, but their ability to attend school. Many students struggle with their attendance, with some students arriving late and others just staying home for some extra sleep.

“This school year, I have experienced many absentees from my first period class,” said Mr. Hodges, an English teacher.

Mr. Hodges says he tries not to email parents and instead he tries to handle it in person with the student, and possibly bring it to the attention of the student’s house office.

According to researchers, there is a correlation between good sleep and student performance. According to research from Carnegie Mellon University: “studies have shown that total sleep is an important predictor for a broad range of health and performance outcomes.”

Now, one negative side for students who don’t get enough sleep at home is that there is a possibility that they will fall asleep in one of their classes. When students fall asleep in class and wake up at a later time, they tend to fall behind the rest of the class and miss important information, like notes and due dates.

“Teens should get about 9 to 10 hours of sleep, but it depends because every person can feel different for different hours of sleep,” said Mr. Frutchey, a house D psychologist.

It was also said if you don’t get enough sleep that is needed for your body, it can set you up for sleep deprivation. Mr. Frutchey added that too much homework may not be good for students, especially for those who have a job or an afterschool activity.

Students agree.

“I don’t like the fact how I have to spend 8-plus hours at school with classes, an afterschool sport, just to turn around and have to go home exhausted but still have work to do,” said student Ysana Forbes.

Ysana has admitted that she doesn’t get much sleep at night.

If a student is not prioritizing sleep, they may be setting themselves up for poor performance in school. According to information from the Stanford Lifestyle Medicine website, studies have shown that people who were deprived of sleep had not only increased fatigue and sleepiness, but worse cognitive performance as well–in other words, it affects someone’s ability to think clearly.