It’s common to hear your friends joke about running on iced coffee and four hours of sleep, but the stark reality behind this routine is a concerning reality: teenage exhaustion has become a depressingly customary aspect of Magnet life. Between waking up early for class, seemingly endless workloads, and an extracurricular resume that never feels like enough, many of our students stay awake well after midnight, and pay the price the next morning. To comprehend the severity of sleep deprivation among our student body, I took it upon myself to survey Raptors about their stress levels, nightly rituals, and what it feels like to show up everyday exhausted. 

What I discovered wasn’t exactly shocking — but it definitely gave me pause.

A total of 127 Magnet students took part in the survey. Out of those, more than 86% admitted to getting less than 7 hours of sleep on school nights, which is below the CDC’s recommended 8–10 hours for teenagers. Almost half (44.9%) reported sleeping between 7 and 8 hours, while over 40% are only managing about 6 hours. A small group, around 10%,  said they typically get five hours or less on a regular school night. And while some students try to catch up on sleep over the weekend, many never really make up for it.

Despite the sleep deficit, most students said they hardly ever take naps. Nearly 70% reported that they never nap during the day, and another 20% said they only nap once or twice a week. With a full day of classes and extracurricular activities, there’s just not much time to recharge.

When we asked what time they usually hit the hay, the results were even more telling:

28.3%: 10–11 p.m.

29.1%: 11 p.m.–12 a.m.

Only 10.3%: before 10 p.m.

A significant number reported going to bed after midnight.

For most Magnet students, staying up late is just part of the routine, not an exception.

Why Are Students Burning the Midnight Oil?

Students could select multiple reasons for their late nights, and the results shed light on the heavy expectations placed on the average Magnet student.

The main reasons included:

✅ Homework / studying — 81.9%

✅ Social media / phone use — 55.1%

✅ Trouble falling asleep — 46.5%

✅ Sports / extracurriculars — 38.6%

Only about 9% of students mentioned part-time jobs. Some responses were humorous (one student joked about “fighting crime”), but most pointed to a common reality: the demands of school and stress leave little room for rest.

How Exhaustion Manifests

When we asked how often they feel tired during school hours, most students rated themselves on the higher end of the scale.

33.9% reported a 5 — “always tired”

29.1% reported a 4

Only 3.9% said they never feel tired

This means that nearly two-thirds of students feel fatigued in school almost every day.

For many students, this exhaustion has real academic consequences. They often find themselves zoning out in class, struggling to concentrate, and feeling less motivated. One student humorously remarked that they “lowkey just be falling asleep in class on some nonchalant timing,” but there’s a grain of truth in that: dozing off in class is becoming all too common.

What Sleep Deprivation Feels Like

Senior Saiana Elkins shares that the lack of sleep hits her hardest by leaving her feeling unmotivated, a feeling many survey respondents can relate to. When she does manage to get a good night’s sleep, Saiana emphasizes the importance of her environment: “Having my room be really cold and snuggling up in a thick fuzzy blanket” helps her unwind.

Still, her nightly routine often gets thrown off by stress and academic demands. She suggests that Magnet could support students by encouraging them to wrap up their work earlier and cut down on screen time before bed. Saiana believes the school could play a role in promoting healthier habits.

The Magnet Schedule

Seniors like Ben Hynes stick to tightly organized schedules. Ben’s weekdays kick off early:

“Wake up at 6 am, head to school by 7:30, go to practice at 7 pm, leave practice at 9 pm, have dinner at 9:30, shower at 10, and hit the hay by 10:30.”

Even with such a structured routine, Ben admits it doesn’t leave him enough time to recharge between all his commitments. For him, the lack of sleep leads to fatigue that impacts both his academics and athletics.

Senior Amelie Gilmore finds that what helps her sleep best is simply knowing she has nothing to stress about the next day. But that kind of peace of mind is hard to come by when homework, quizzes, and extracurricular pressures pile up.

“I can barely stay awake sometimes,” she explains, “and it’s tough to perform well in school and stay focused because I’m always so tired.”

Like many of her peers, she believes the answer lies in structural changes: a later start time or breaking quizzes and unit tests into smaller parts so students don’t feel the need to study late into the night.

Her weekday schedule paints a picture of what a “typical” Magnet day looks like — and highlights why sleep is such a crucial issue.

The Simplest Schedule of All

On the flip side, freshman Sam Eberly’s daily routine is surprisingly straightforward:

“Wake up, eat, go to school, come home, chill, eat, sleep, repeat.”

But even Sam feels the weight of it all,  and he’s got some solid ideas for how to make things better. When asked how Magnet could help students get more rest, he suggested:

“No homework at all, start school later, finish earlier,  and how about a study hall… with nap time?”

While the idea of ditching homework and adding nap breaks might seem a bit far-fetched, it really captures what so many students are feeling: the academic pressure is just too much, and the days drag on.

Searching for Solutions

When we asked what could help students catch more Z’s, the answers varied, but they all pointed to similar themes:

Start school later

End earlier

Less homework

More structured study time

Teach time-management skills

Reduce testing pressure

Encourage healthier phone habits

These aren’t exactly groundbreaking ideas. Schools all over the country have been discussing them for ages, but hearing them straight from Magnet students gives them a real sense of urgency.

Why This Matters

Sleep isn’t just a nice-to-have. It plays a crucial role in memory, mood, immune function, and learning ability. Teens who regularly get less than 7 hours of sleep are more likely to face issues like depression, anxiety, and poor academic performance.

Yet, for most Magnet students, fatigue is a common experience. Yawning through first period, clutching energy drinks, sneaking in micro-naps at lunch. These moments connect us just as much as our studies do.

Where Do We Go From Here?

The survey makes one thing clear: Magnet students are craving rest, they just aren’t sure how to find it within the system they’re navigating. Whether we need structural changes or a cultural shift, the need is undeniable.

We can start by reframing rest as a necessity, not a sign of laziness. By challenging the notion that success means being constantly worn out. By pushing for schedules that prioritize our health, not just our productivity.