Sleep is such an important factor to life, especially a teen’s. As an adolescent, most of our schedules are quite hectic. While trying to balance school, homework, a social life, sports and other extracurriculars, we often place sleep toward the bottom of our priority list.

Although a very common mistake, this is a mistake nonetheless. I myself am guilty of this. I tend to care much less about how much sleep I get as long as I get everything else done. However, on the rare nights that I do decide to give myself a couple extra hours of sleep, I notice a major difference in the following day.

On a typical school night I unfortunately only get about four-six hours of sleep due to a busy schedule. There are a few nights that I decide to finish things later and get extra sleep. Mondayt night, for example, I got eight hours of sleep and it was possibly one of the most refreshing things I’ve ever experienced. For most people, eight hours is normal or even below the hours they usually get. For me, on the other hand, eight hours is a whole lot.

I noticed a drastic increase in energy even before any caffeine. I feel much more focused and I even feel happier than normal. Getting the healthy amount of sleep is vital to your school success and mood, even if it means putting a few things aside.