Overwhelmed by buzzing thoughts and never ending attempts to fall asleep: squeezing their eyes shut, counting to ten, and taking deep breaths. Pulling the covers over their head, they lay awake.

The next day, head down on the table, eyes closing, junior Lennox Banderas tries not to fall asleep for what feels like the millionth time.

“I go to all my classes, ready to fall asleep during the day,” Banderas said.  “I feel forced to be awake.”

Anxiety, busy schedules, energy drinks, screens. These are just some of the reasons why many students have sleepless nights.

“Honestly, on weekdays, [I get] 7-8 hours, going to bed at 10 or 11 and waking up around 6:40. Sometimes, on weekends, I go to bed at 4, but I usually go to bed at 12 or 1 and wake up at 11-1 depending on what I have to do that day,” Banderas said.

School Nurse Lindsey Murphy has been working here since 2019. She says that in the past few years, there has been an uptick in people coming in due to a lack of sleep.

“It is definitely an issue for students. That [an approximation] is difficult to determine as sleep deprivation can cause many different symptoms. Anything from headaches, stomachaches, and fatigue, to anxiety and depression,” Murphy said.

Insomnia, one reason for a lack of sleep, is a common issue for all ages.

The Mayo Clinic defines insomnia as a sleep disorder that can make it hard to fall or stay asleep, or because you wake up too early and can’t get back to sleep.  Some symptoms of insomnia include difficulty sleeping at night, not feeling well-rested after a night’s sleep, daytime sleepiness, increased errors, difficulty focusing, etc.

There are two types of insomnia: short-term, or acute, and long-term, or chronic. Acute insomnia lasts for days or weeks and is usually a result of stress or traumatic events. Chronic insomnia lasts a month or more, and results from stress or life habits such as work schedules.

We can start helping ourselves by decreasing screen time substantially.  Teenagers spend much of their free time on screens, whether it is a laptop, a phone, or a television.

“Our screens emit blue light which actually reduces the amount of melatonin that our body produces to help us fall asleep,” Murphy said.

According to Cleveland Clinic, sleeping disorders, which are changes in sleeping patterns that negatively affect health, are typically diagnosed by a physical exam and blood or imaging tests to learn more about the cause of your symptoms.

You could be asked to keep a sleep diary, which is a written record of sleeping habits. A sleep diary details when you fall asleep, wake up, and nap as well as how you felt before and after sleeping. It may also be recommended to visit a sleep specialist who can perform a polysomnogram, also known as a sleep study.

Getting good sleep matters for all age groups, but especially for developing teens.

Child Mind says that sleep deprivation, the condition of suffering from a lack of sleep puts teenagers into a haze and leads to an increased risk of injuries, inability to self-regulate, higher chances of getting into substance use and risky behaviors, poorer moods, and triggering of mental illnesses.

It’s important that teens consider what may be negatively impacting their sleep. Whether it’s homework, work schedule, or something else, finding a healthy balance between family, friends, work, school, and self care can help you and your mental state more than you know.