Students at Malvern and at many other schools in America have one thing in common: they are tired. What is the role of technology in this similarity?
“I am always tired,” senior Patrick Keenan said with a yawn. “I can’t remember the last time I felt fully awake when I was at school.”
Patrick Keenan is a captain of the crew team, a M.E.C.O. leader, and an honors student. One might think that he is always tired because of this heavy workload, but he is not alone. A number of students at Malvern are coming into school more and more tired to start the school day.
One of the possible causes for this constant drowsiness among students is the usage of cell phones before falling asleep.
In a survey of Malvern Prep students, 82 percent said that they use their phones while in bed before falling asleep. Over 76 percent of those students said that they use their phones for 30 minutes or more during this time.
Not only is this causing students to fall asleep later, it could have an effect on the way that they sleep throughout the night.
A recent national study found that the number of U.S. teens who reported sleeping less than seven hours a night jumped 22 percent between 2012 and 2015. Sleep experts agree that teenagers should have at least nine hours of sleep a night, but 43 percent of teens get less than seven.
The biggest change in teen habits between 2012 and 2015? More students own and use smartphones.
More recent studies have linked late-night smartphone use by teens to a decline in mental health, including depressed moods, lack of self esteem, and inability to cope.
Keenan said that his phone is always charging next to his bed in easy reaching distance if he ever wanted it during the night.
“I use my phone every night before falling asleep,” Keenan said. “I think it helps me detach from everything else that is going on after a long day.”
Keenan said that he gets around six hours of sleep each night, falling asleep around midnight and waking up around 6 a.m. for crew workouts.
Peter Borger is a senior at Malvern on the Cross Country team. He has signed his letter of intent to continue his running career at the University of Richmond next fall. Borger does not use any technology before falling asleep.
“I try to stay away from having my phone near where I sleep as much as possible,” Borger said. “I value sleep so much for my school work, and I think it is key for my success in running. If I show up to a meet and I’m tired, there is no way I am going to be able to run as fast as I can.”
Borger thinks he gets a lot more sleep than many other students at Malvern.
“I probably get around nine hours of sleep per night. I try to fall asleep by 10 o’clock each night. During the cross country season, I am usually very tired after practices so it is fairly easy for me to fall asleep rather early,” he said.
It is much more difficult to learn when you are tired. If you are zoned out and not engaged in class, you are most likely not going to be able to remember anything you were taught that period.
Teachers have begun to notice this tiredness in a number of students. Theology teacher Mrs. Jessica Kenworthey said that her students have been tired for a long time. “They are teenage boys. They’re going to be tired whenever they have to wake up at 7 a.m. for school,” she said.
Kenworthey said she could see how technology usage is keeping students up at night and making them sleep less.
“When I was in high school and even when I started teaching, being on your phone at night wasn’t a problem for students,” she said. “Now it is so easy to reach over, pick up your phone, and stay up for multiple hours.”
She said that she tries to stay off technology, and also tries to have her children stay away from it at night.
“Nothing productive is really being done when you are on your phone late at night,” she said. “The time that students now spend on their phones could be spent sleeping, and that would make them much more productive during the school day.”
