By Bridie Garcia
Upon entering the school cafeteria, I realize I¹m not the only one carrying the burden of a poor night¹s sleep. Dozens of groggy, restless teenagers fill the coffee lines to get their daily caffeine fix. Walking into first period, I see numerous desks with full coffee cups and other drinks charged with caffeine, ready to awaken their sleepy companions.
It wasn¹t always like this. I remember back in grammar school, when it was only the teacher with the tall cup of coffee on his or her desk, students just came in naturally energized. Why the drastic change? I¹d like to credit a large part of it to sleep deprivation.
At an earlier age, I, like many of my other classmates, had set curfew at an early hour. I now laugh at the unlikelihood of ever making it to bed at that hour today. Parents have gradually let go of their teenagers when it comes to enforcing such a rule due to our busy schedules and increased responsibilities. Most of us no longer come home straight from school and simply do nothing. We occupy ourselves with jobs, clubs, practices, games, and, as an added bonus, hours of tedious homework and studying.
On eventful days, I¹m not surprised to glance at the clock to see that it¹s past one in the morning and I still have a laundry list of things to attend to. Textbooks are scattered, papers are flying, and, of course, the coffee pot is steaming. My eyelids feel heavier than bricks, and my head slowly finds its way to rest on the pages of my books as if they were pillows. I realize that my coffee has now lost its magic and it¹s time to go to bed. I open the door to my bedroom and enter paradise as I crawl under my nice, warm blankets. But before I know it, that crazy alarm discourteously signals that my time in paradise has come to an end.
It¹s a constant, wearing cycle that drains me and other teenagers. Come Friday or Saturday night, however, many teenagers do not take the initiative to go to bed early and give their bodies a break. Instead, we choose to go a party, chat with friends online or catch that great guest on ³Saturday Night Live.² Whatever the excuse, the bottom line is that we are depriving our bodies of the much needed rest that we need at such a crucial time in our lives.
We teens overwhelm ourselves with active schedules which become reflected in our performance in school. The end result is a fatigued body the next morning that just cries out for caffeine. What¹s going to happen later on in life if we¹re ingesting caffeine and sleeping pills at this stage?
It¹s best to begin good habits now to avoid sleep-related problems in the future. You¹ll be more alert, perform better in school and have greater new-found energy. Just go to bed. Your body will thank you later.
Bridie Garcia is an Island Park senior at West Hempstead High School.
