Between school and extracurricular activities, getting an adequate amount of sleep remains a challenge for many high schoolers.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, teens need eight to ten hours of sleep per night to function best. However, the average student attending Cam High sleeps only six hours per night, according to a random survey of about 50 students. These numbers stem from multiple variables including homework load, club obligations, sports practice, chores, procrastination, and technology.

“I have a lot of homework to do and have to take care of chores and personal hygiene, so I usually go to bed around 10 to 10:30 P.M.” said Cambria Tolsma, junior, who personally sleeps an average of seven hours per night.

Jordyn Yokoyama, junior, gets about four and a half hours of sleep a night. “I often have a lot of homework. I’m just a perfectionist and have a lot of extracurricular activities. Chores take time, but not as much as homework.”

Mrs. Marci Pinuelas, campus counselor, shared her advice to combat procrastination. “Organization is the key to success,” she said. “Tackle one subject at a time, look at the whole month, the whole picture, to break it down.”

Mrs. Mary Harris, school nurse, said sometimes sacrificing sleep is necessary, but advised people to plan on compensating their sleep-deprived bodies later. She considers sleep an important element that affects individuals, both physically and mentally. “[Sleep helps you] think clearly, and it is good for your skin,” she said. “It affects every part of you.”

Harris also believes electronic devices distracts student and keeps tired minds engaged longer than they should. Many students surveyed agreed with this sentiment, expressing that social media and browsing the web through phones and portable devices brought restlessness at night.

“People have a lot of problems just sitting their with their phones. It’s a distraction,” said junior Jada Gaines.

“I see a lot of good students that just don’t get enough sleep, whether it is their own fault [or not]. I know students are busy and have lots of homework, clubs, and sports. It is hard to focus and hard to stay awake, especially when it is getting hot,”  said Mr. Matthew Doyle, social science teacher.

The stresses and pressures are seemingly enlarged in present social and educational standards. “Intensity of school is stronger nowadays,” said Mr. Jesus Duran, foreign language teacher. “It seems like courses [are] more intense. The homework load is a lot more. The pressure of doing well and going to college is greater today.”

“I have learned to live with [little sleep],” said Tolsma, “but it would be nice if I can get more [sleep].”