Throughout my years of highschool, there has been one phrase that I have heard more than anything else: “I’m tired.” High school students are constantly tired, but no one really knows the true reason why. It could be because they stay up late doing homework, they stay up late because they want to, or they have such busy lives they can never catch a break. It could be a combination of all these things or none of these things at all. 

Studies have shown that teenagers’ bodies naturally shift, so they feel tired later in the evening. This wouldn’t be such a big issue except for the fact that school starts so early in the mornings. This doesn’t allow teenagers to get the sleep their bodies need. It is recommended for teenagers to get between 8- 10 hours of sleep each night, but most get 6- 7 or even less. All this information leads me to the main point: Should there be a designated time during the day/week that allows students to take naps?

On the yay side of things, naps would allow students to catch up on the sleep they are deprived of each night. It would allow students to feel well rested and better prepared to pay attention and participate in class. Even a short time slot of 20 minutes could make the biggest impact in helping students do better in school. Many high school students live very busy lives and would benefit from a short time slot during the day or week to slow down and get extra rest.

Now onto the nay side of things: there are several arguments that can be made against naps in school. One argument is that students are at school to learn, and they can sleep at home; thus, naps in school would take time away from learning. Another argument is that if students are really that tired, they can sleep during lunch. A third argument to be made is that if students are tired, they should drink more coffee and energy drinks to keep them awake during the day.

I’m not here to tell you if naps in school should or shouldn’t be allowed. There are very good arguments that can be made regarding both sides of the debate. Everyone will always have their own opinions that are neither right or wrong. I think it would be interesting to witness a study to see if designated rest time benefits the lives of students or if it doesn’t affect them at all.