“From Blame to Awareness: Understanding the Real Causes of Student Sleep Loss”

It wasn't until my freshman year and continued through the rest of high school, that I began to see a consistent problem among my peers. I started to notice that they, just like myself, found it incredibly difficult to obtain adequate rest as their schedule filled up with school work. I would often walk into class and see multiple friends with their heads slumped down on their desks, barely awake. My friends would constantly comment on how they were extremely tired, even throughout the afternoon, and that they needed to be more responsible and manage their time better. I initially believed my friends were just simply bad at scheduling.

But, my perception began to change as I grew older and I realized that the issue of student sleep deprivation wasn't just among my close group of friends; it was everywhere. The problem was affecting countless students across the country, more and more it was gaining the attention of the nation through research and media, and it began to make me question how I previously believed it was an issue of only poor time management. My later perceptions led me to conclude that external factors, such as high school workload, involvement in extra-curricular activities, the use of technology, and much more, were contributing to students receiving less sleep. 

My search to address this problem began at the beginning of my sophomore year. I researched my school’s HOSA chapter and hoped there was an organization working on helping students with sleep but, no such project existed, and I decided that I would be the one to take action. By creating my project, "Recharge with Rest", I hope to bring attention to student sleep deprivation while simultaneously giving students tools that they can use to build healthier sleep habits to live healthier and more fulfilling lives.