The Official Student News Site of Parkway West High

Pathfinder

The Official Student News Site of Parkway West High

Pathfinder

The Official Student News Site of Parkway West High

Pathfinder

You stay up late. Here’s why it’s okay.

Instead+of+sleeping%2C+you+might+find+yourself+perusing+TikTok+or+FaceTiming+a+friend.
Photo Illustration by Brinda Ambal
Instead of sleeping, you might find yourself perusing TikTok or FaceTiming a friend.

Your house is silent. Your covers are pulled up over your head. Your face is washed over with the slightly sickening, pale glow of your phone, and your pallid complexion is fitting for the situation. You are so tired, your eyelids droop as TikTok after TikTok scrolls past your reddening eyes. So, why haven’t you gone to sleep yet?

Scientists say one reason might be rooted in biology. Insomnia specialist and sleep researcher Wendy Texel mentioned in her TEDx Talk that the average teenage body tends to release the hormone melatonin at around 11 p.m., two hours later than adults and younger children. Without the production of melatonin, we will have trouble falling asleep.

Some of us scoff when we see 11 p.m., because we will see the wee hours of the morning and then sleep through half the day. Researchers at the University of Michigan theorized that as we become a teenager, our hormones drive us to want to be more independent. The wee hours of morning when adults aren’t around just so happen to be the perfect time during which we can do what we want. When our parents aren’t awake, and the world is dark and silent, it’s a lot easier to pretend we don’t answer to or depend on anyone.

Some of us take this time to have deep Snapchat conversations about existential crises with our friends. But others, the introverts amongst us, might use it to take a break from social interactions. It’s sacred time to yourself. Even during quarantine, when we literally don’t leave our houses, school days are still filled with Google Meets and Zooms and even FaceTime with friends. This does not mean introverts don’t enjoy social interactions, they might just need some time to recharge, plentiful between 12 and 2 a.m.

As teenagers, it is widely accepted that we need eight to 10 hours of sleep every night. Researchers are divided as to whether these hours are only effective when you sleep and wake at “reasonable” hours, or if it’s alright to go to bed late as long as you sleep in the next day. Some say night owls are putting their health at serious risk, while some chronobiologists recommend following one’s own biological clock, even if it has you sleep late.

While the field of sleep science yields varying results, there are enough reasons explaining why we like staying up late to justify it, especially when we are able to sleep in later the next morning. Take this time to sleep. Get a lot of it, and relish every minute. August is coming sooner than you think, and before you know it, we will be sitting in desks at 7:35 a.m.

View Comments (1)
Donate to Pathfinder
$175
$800
Contributed
Our Goal

Your donation will support the student journalists of Parkway West High School. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.

More to Discover
About the Contributor
Brinda Ambal, Conceptual Editor-in-Chief
Pronouns: she/her I am a senior, and this is my fourth year on staff. The Pathfinder has helped me push myself independently, build a supportive community and grow through my mistakes. Though I write a lot of opinions, I do seek to understand the other side— my newfound knowledge always either strengthens my own position or changes my mind.  I love fairy princess tea parties with my friends and 12-hour study marathons. In the rest of my time, I am Student Body co-Vice President, a part of the Scholar Bowl team and often found on or around Creve Coeur Lake with St. Louis Rowing Club. I most enjoy the small moments; a friend’s laugh, the brush of my fingers against a piece of paper and the first glimpse of daffodil yellow after a really long winter (gotta love Missouri weather).
Donate to Pathfinder
$175
$800
Contributed
Our Goal

Comments (1)

Please use your own name and keep your comments respectful!
All Pathfinder Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • R

    Rick BiswasOct 18, 2020 at 10:37 pm

    Wow, I was so sure staying up late was real harmful over the weekends. Now I can stay up till 2 knowing I am not doing anything wrong lol.

    Reply
Activate Search
The Official Student News Site of Parkway West High
You stay up late. Here’s why it’s okay.