Getting six hours of sleep each night has become the standard for many students on campus, as homework and extracurricular activities pile up.

A recent pediatrics study shows only 3 percent of teens are actually sleeping for the recommended eight hours, which has resulted in an alarming number of teens using sleep aids. Those who lack such requirement are found to be at risk of engaging in unsafe behavior and/or having heart problems.

“Regularly, I only get about seven hours of sleep,” sophomore Kyle Peters said. “It’s extremely hard to balance out [basketball] practices or games with homework.”

Even though Peters said he has never used any form of sleep medicine to help him recover some slumber, the idea has crossed his mind.

“Usually once I get in bed, I’m out like a light,” he said. “But on days when I just can’t sleep, I do wonder if something could help.”

On the other hand, junior James Leonard actually manages to squeeze in eight hours of a good night’s rest, despite copious amounts of homework and partaking in both basketball and band.

“I make sure to use every minute I have to prevent falling behind,” Leonard said. “I take advantage of class time and Power Hour so that there’s less to do when I get home after practice, which ultimately allows me to get some sleep.”  

By Julien Wakim