By Austin Henry, Staff Writer

March 29, 2021

Hi, I’m Austin. I'm a sophomore in high school, and every night I aim to go to bed between 8 and 9 PM and wake up fresh and early at 5 AM. Sound crazy? It's really not and here's why you should try it. 

How many people do you know who wake up tired? The answer to this question is most likely a lot. In my opinion, people would benefit from going to bed earlier and waking up earlier because they would be less tired as well as reap many other benefits. 

During a survey conducted by the CDC in 2015, 72.7 percent of high school students reported not getting enough sleep. 

The CDC also mentions the importance of sleep and that ¨Children and adolescents who do not get enough sleep have a higher risk of obesity, injuries, poor mental health, and problems with attention and behavior.¨ 

Furthermore going to bed early and waking up early is a win-win situation for high school students

The first win is the reduced risk for health issues especially with mental health being something with such a large prominence in today's world.

The second win is knowing you have more time to accomplish your day-to-day goals. 

The early morning hours are typically quiet and this just breeds creativity and efficiency. 

To explain, I wake up at 5 AM. I jump in the shower, check the news and social media, practice Italian, take a morning walk and cook, eat and clean up breakfast all before the clock strikes 7 with time to spare.  

I have not always kept this neat of a schedule. Last year I would go to sleep around 1 AM, get 6 ½ hours of sleep, then wake up at 6:30 AM and quickly shower and shove down some food before I walked out the door. I would shuffle through school exhausted. 

6 ½ hours is an incredibly low amount of sleep according to the CDC, saying that ¨teenagers ages 13-18 should sleep 8-10 hours per 24 hours.¨

The CDC suggests that limiting light exposure and technology use a half an hour before sleep as well as keeping a consistent bedtime can help this sleep schedule immensely.