Sleep is something everyone needs, but not something everyone gets enough of. It is recommended that we get an average of 7-8 hours of sleep every night, but do we actually meet that recommendation?

Sleep is very important to your body, and is necessary for a healthy lifestyle. Also, sleep is very different from rest. According to the National Sleep Foundation, “Sleep is an active period in which a lot of the important processing, restoration, and strengthening occur.” Other helpful things that happen during sleep is muscle restoration and removing toxins from the brain.

Ask yourself, how many hours of sleep do you get before a school night (or when you were a student)? Answers may vary between to as low as four to eight hours. Research has shown that not getting enough sleep has negative effects on your academic performance.

According to Student Life University of Michigan‘s article “Successful Students Tend to Sleep More,” “Sleep plays a key role in helping students fix and consolidate memories, plus prevent decay of memories.  Without sleep, people work harder and but don’t do as well.”

Students at Walt Whitman high school have mixed views.

“I think sleep is important for school, but personally, I’m not affected by this problem since I get enough sleep for every day,” says freshman student Jaycee Cardoso.

“…a tired mind and body will hinder one’s understanding and the ability to acquire information at school. Sleeping too little or sleeping too much can be a limiting factor of one’s academic career.” says freshman student Ashar Farooq.

“When I stay up late, I’m studying and I think my grades would be the same if I went to bed earlier,” says freshman Shaan Khan.

While some students believe it is better to have a good night’s rest before school, others stay up studying. While this may be beneficial in the time being, it is not in the long run. “…sleeping helps strengthen memories you’ve formed throughout the day,” according to

“…sleeping helps strengthen memories you’ve formed throughout the day,” according to News In Health’s article “Sleep on it.” Sleeping helps you store information in your long-term memory.

Next time you’re about to go on a Netflix marathon or text your friends throughout the night, think about how sleeping is important to your health and academic career.