Insomnia; we’ve all been there. Whether worries, nightmares, or just plain tossing and turning, we’ve all had that endless night. It’s made us sleepy during both school and our after-school activities and has kept us from being our normal selves. The real question is, how can it affect our school quality and grades? 

What is insomnia? How does it happen?

Insomnia can happen for a multitude of reasons; whether because of too much sugar during the day or watching TV right before bed, or anything in between. Insomnia isn’t just when you can’t fall asleep either; it’s also when you can’t get comfy in your bed. It’s also when you wake up and can’t fall back asleep, or when you wake up too early. Some symptoms the next day include drowsiness, trouble concentrating, and short-term memory loss. It happens to everyone, and while it may be hard to endure, always be prepared so you never have to face it again.

How can insomnia affect school performance?

When facing symptoms such as drowsiness, poor concentration, and memory loss, facing school the morning after a sleepless night is tough. Each symptom affects a different part of schoolwork, but together they can bring down your grades. The drowsiness makes you not pay attention in class(or maybe even make you fall asleep), the poor concentration does pretty much the same thing as drowsiness, it makes you not pay attention, and the short term memory loss affects you hardest when you have a quiz or a test. It makes you forget everything your teacher drilled into your head. It can bring your grade down, possibly from a passing grade to a failing grade if you have repeated insomnia. iUP 6th grader, McKinnley Rupp has had her fair share of sleepless nights. “Typically I do my best thinking and creativity in the mornings, and when I have trouble sleeping, it messes with my grades and it lowers my average”, she said. 

As you can see, insomnia can affect you much more than just making you tired; between weakening concentration levels and lowering your grades, insomnia can impact you more than you realize. Everyone has something that could keep them awake; the trick is to find yours, and seize it so that insomnia can never strike you again.

Sources:

“Insomnia.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 6 Apr. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insomnia#Signs_and_symptoms.

“Child Insomnia – Overview.” Sleep Education, sleepeducation.org/sleep-disorders-by-category/insomnias/child-insomnia#:~:text=Child%20Insomnia%20%2D%20Overview,awake%20for%20hours%20at%20night.