Pressing cold Powerade to your face to stay awake during World History. Napping during bus rides. Sleeping through fire alarms. These are just some instances of how CHS students deal with the toll of sleep deprivation.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, teenagers need about 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night. According to a recent poll conducted by the Inkblot, however, CHS students only get an average of eight to 10 hours of sleep per night.

“My sleep schedule is not consistent. Back sometime in junior year, I went almost three full days with no sleep at all… I thought I was going insane,”  senior Liam Jamolod of Howell said.

The Child Mind Institute found that sleep deprivation leads to an increased risk of substance abuse, depression and poor performance in both school and work environments.

“On the nights where I get less sleep than usual, I almost fall asleep in at least one class,

so it certainly affects me,” freshman Lucy Battista of Tinton Falls said.

To combat sleep deprivation, students can make simple changes to their daily routines, such as getting more exercise or keeping electronics out of their bedrooms, according to Harvard Health Publishing.

“I like to track [my sleep] on my Fitbit because it shows how well I sleep and when exactly I fall asleep and wake up,” junior Beatrice Karron of Manasquan said. “I also try to leave my phone downstairs when I go to sleep so that it doesn’t bother me and I’m not distracted.” 

Despite these helpful methods, students’ inability to manage time makes healthy habits difficult to practice.

“I think it’s really hard for people in high school to maintain a consistently good sleep schedule,” said sophomore Maggie Schnieder of Wall. “A lot of people, including myself, have multiple extracurricular activities which last for multiple hours, then have to balance that with a lot of homework, studying and then getting enough sleep.” 

Beyond time management, some feel like a toxic, competitive nature surrounding the issue also makes a good night’s sleep feel like a faraway dream.

“If we get rid of the sleep deprivation culture where lack of sleep is almost held up as a trophy, I would feel a little more positive pressure to go to bed earlier,” senior Dane Tedder of Ocean said.