It is estimated that about a third of a person’s lifetime is spent sleeping. We have all heard about being productive in school and in life generally, but what about productive sleeping?

First off, we can all eliminate a common mistake right when we wake up in the morning: the snooze button. At face value, snooze seems like a good idea. You can get that extra five, ten, or twenty minutes of sleep as an added luxury. It feels good: as you fall back asleep, the neurotransmitter serotonin is produced, which helps relax your body for sleep. But here’s the catch: you’re disrupting the sleep cycle. Dr. Neil Stanley, who has been involved in sleep research for 31 years, explains that “if you hit the snooze button you may go back into a deep sleep and you’re not supposed to wake up from a deep sleep, you’re supposed to pass to the lighter preparation stage first, then you open your eyes.” Try placing your alarm clock across the room – this will force you to get up on your feet and shut it off.

Teenagers need 8 or more hours of sleep because their body is still developing and needs rest. Now, this may appear as a lofty goal. New Trier piles on lots of homework, especially in AP classes. So what can you do if you simply don’t have time to get that much sleep? Well, there are three reasonable solutions to this problem.

1) Make time. Don’t procrastinate on assignments. Cut computer and videogame use. Be productive during school so your work at home is not overwhelming.

2) Cut the time it takes to fall asleep. If you don’t prepare your mind and body for sleep, it’s hard to make the transition to a far less conscious state. Take a hot bath – maybe even add some Epsom salts to detoxify your body. Make a commitment to take your mind off of homework a full hour prior to going to sleep. This will give you time to reflect on your future goals or read something interesting and enjoyable instead of stressing out. Another tip is to not look at any screens – turn off your cellphone, television, iPad, etc. This is because when you are exposed to lights of an LED screen, your ability to produce melatonin, a hormone produced by the pineal gland to induce sleep, is inhibited.

3) Organize your sleep schedule. Everyone has an internal body clock which responds to the rhythms of day and night. Going to bed and getting up at the same time every day allows your body to rest at a natural time. Staying up until 3am and sleeping in until noon Saturday or Sunday can be a huge issue – you can expect to feel tired at random points of the day when waking up for school at 7am during the week.

There are many ways you can improve your ability to fall asleep and create time to catch more z’s. “Catching up” on sleep is a false luxury on the weekends – the inconsistent sleep schedule will make you tired throughout the week. Since so much of our lives is spent lying prone in a bed, it would be wise to do it right and do it enough. If your sleep habits are poor, take this advice and do supplemental research on the internet. There are even sleep specialists that are educated to help you get better sleep. So stop complaining about your “insomnia” and start taking your sleep seriously.