The Coffee of a High School Student

At this point of the year, I think we are all near our breaking points. AP tests are creeping up, homework just keeps piling up, and we find ourselves getting less and less sleep. However, we are still sane, I assume. To ease our days, we usually have some form of hobby that takes our mind off of things. Whether that's TV, hanging out with friends, playing video games, or sports, these activities get our minds off of the homework that will cause us to fall asleep later in the night. The problem with this is that these activities take more and more of our time each day, causing us to get less sleep. So what do we do when the very thing keeping us sane is the very thing getting us closer to becoming insane.

An easier example to see this is coffee. I have heard from many adults that coffee is a "drug." Coffee keeps adults awake and alive to work. However, coffee isn't that great either when too much is consumed. As adults want to drink more coffee to ease the work load, that extra coffee is causing extra damage. The same goes for high school students.

Students tend to allow more distractions in at this time of the year to ease the stress. The very thing students really need, sleep, can not be achieved as much anymore. Many can say that all that is need is to get rid of this trend is to cut the distraction out. That most likely will not work out as planned. Cutting the activity out is pretty much like instant coffee withdrawal. I'm sure an adult drinking a cup of coffee each day for half a year can not just quit instantly and expect to survive the day like a walk in the park.

These problems need to be addressed at earlier times. The only way to ensure the safety of a students mind and grade is to secure a solid work and break pattern at the start of the school year. Change is not as easy in the middle of the year. A "bad" work pattern may be a "normal" work pattern for a student. I even find myself falling into this breaking point as I see myself get less and less sleep. Vacations are usually times to recover and should also be considered heavily.