Sleepiness At CB

Do students get enough sleep? Dedicated study habits, long commutes, and school activities can stand in the way of a full night’s rest.

The National Sleep Foundation recommends that teenagers need 9 and a half hours of sleep to function best during the day.

How much sleep do Christian Brothers students get?

“I would say that I usually get about 6 or 7 hours of sleep a night,” says CB student Ryan Bandaccari (’15). “I don’t think other students or I get enough sleep.”

For a student to get nine and a half hours of sleep, and assuming it takes one hour to prepare and commute in the morning, a student would have to go to sleep at 9:30pm and wake up at 7am to arrive on time.

For a lot of students, such as Dan Kever (’15), the commute is longer than that, as Dan is faced with almost an hour long commute from El Dorado Hills to CB. In theory, Daniel should be going to sleep at 9pm for a full night’s rest, but how much does he really sleep?

“I usually try to get to sleep at around 10:30 pm, and I usually wake up at around 6 am,” he says. “I’m usually tired in the morning, but it’s not that bad.”

The hard-working students of CB aren’t staying up to goof around though, as many students stay up to complete homework and fully prepare for tests.

Does a late night cramming or study session better prepare students for tests?

A scientific study recently reported that, “those who stay up all night cramming for exams actually increase their chances of failing a test and have trouble understanding instruction the next day.”

A Washington Post study recently found evidence of structural brain differences that distinguish early risers from people who like to stay up late. The study suggests that, ” night owls experience worse sleep, feel more tiredness during the day, [are more likely to] consume greater amounts of tobacco and alcohol, and are at a greater risk for depression.”

The key to sleeping more seems to be setting up a productive and efficient schedule that allows you to finish your necessary tasks while still getting a reasonable amount of sleep.

For students that are having a difficult time managing school, sports, and other activities, our school guidance councilors are always available to help build a schedule that allows you to succeed the most while also getting a healthy amount of sleep.