This unprecedented school year has had many implications including differences in sleep schedules. Most students are finding out that they are getting less sleep during this school year due to learning online.  

“I’m getting less sleep because I’m staying up later at night playing video games,” senior Gavin Buchanan said. “I think it is because school still doesn’t feel real to me and it’s hard to believe this is our reality.”

In a survey of 20 students, 15 said they were getting less sleep this school year. The most common reason was that the school day is shorter, and classes are every other day. Students don’t think they need as much sleep to get through the shorter schedule this year.

The survey also showed that 95 percent of the students surveyed said they have taken less quizzes and tests compared to past years. 

Baylor University performed a study in 2018 that showed the value of getting more sleep. “Better sleep helped rather than harmed final exam performance,” director of Baylor’s Sleep Neuroscience and Cognition Laboratory Michael Scullin said. “which is contrary to most college students’ perceptions that they have to sacrifice either studying or sleeping.”

Palatine students are getting less sleep because they feel they don’t need to be fully awake because of less exams.

“Zoom makes it really easy to be distracted and sometimes staring at the screen too long makes me sleepy,” an anonymous student said. “I may have dozed off a couple of times so far this year.”

On the other hand, 25% of students agreed that they have had more sleep this year. 

“I would say I have gotten more sleep due to no transportation to school,” senior Jeffrey Hedlund said. “I would say I have accepted this to be our new normal and we just have to deal with it.”

Students at Palatine aren’t sleeping as much as they have in past years because of less time in school, and because of less testing.