Sleep and the Average Exonian

“I’m so tired.” This phrase is almost as ambiguous and commonplace as “I’m fine.” The phrase has little substance, and is something to say in response to a question or to begin a conversation. But it reveals much about our campus; most of the students at Exeter are sleep deprived. At this school, sleep is optional and the repercussions of this mentality are serious.Sleep deprivation occurs when a person does not get enough sleep for their body to repair and refresh itself. It can affect anyone regardless of gender or age. Though sometimes it is caused by other underlying issues, sleep deprivation in adolescents is often a result of obligations that force the person to stay up too late or wake up early.A sleepless night or two does not hold much immediate harm. However, if a person continually avoids the rest they need, their body can start to fall apart. Literally. According to a study completed by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, a person with mild sleep deprivation has the same decisions ability as an intoxicated person. Besides impaired cognitive ability, sleep-deprivation has been linked to obesity, heart attacks and other health risks. Adolescents are supposed to get nine hours and fifteen minutes of sleep a night, but only eight percent of teenagers report getting that amount of sleep on a regular basis.If sleep is so important, and a lack of it causes damage to one’s health, why do so many of us at Exeter not get enough of it?There are a number of reasons. Exeter’s school day does not officially end until six, and lights out for preps and lowers happens at eleven. Between the hours of six and eleven, several things need to happen to allow for a sleep-deprived student. Homework is the key factor, as it takes the largest chunk out of the night and is crucial to a student’s success. However, a student with strong willpower and a reasonably short assignments should be able to complete most of their work between the hours of six and eleven. If you consider a musical ensemble or a sport or a high-maintenance club, the amount of time a student has to finish their homework between six and eleven decreases significantly, but a club by itself may not be able to completely derail a student’s sleep. If one accounts for procrastination or downtime separately, a student will struggle to complete their homework but may not find it unreasonable to get a good night’s sleep.It is the combination of these three factors that robs Exonians of their sleep. By themselves, homework, extracurriculars and downtime cannot cause severe sleep deprivation among Exeter students, but together they make a perfect storm.And there might not be anything we can do about it. Our community is a competitive one, and skipping a night of homework to sleep might negatively affect grades. There are some measures in place, such as fatiguing and free blocks, to prevent extreme tiredness in students, but if a class is too important to miss, or homework already occupies any spare time, they won’t do much good. Exeter’s core culture is a sleep-deprived one, and unless it changes fundamentally, it will remain a sleep-deprived culture.To those who somehow manage to get nine hours of sleep a night, I envy you.