Hello, I am a sophomore in high school. Recently I have been sleeping very little, (2-3 in the morning; I’ve even pulled two all-nighters so far). The reason for this is that I take a long nap after school, and then I procrastinate, so I always end up starting my homework around 10 or even 11. I’m wondering if there’s any way to fix this, as it’s been taking a toll on my health. Even though I get 2-3 hours of sleep a night, I’m a very slow worker and I have trouble concentrating, so I always end up finishing my homework during lunch. How can I fix this? Thank you.
My schedule is:
Photography
AP chemistry
Honors pre-calc
History 10 (regular)
H English 10
I want to stop procrastinating, as I will be taking 4 APs next year and I don’t want to be swamped with work all the time.
Can you go to the public library or someplace after school to study instead of taking a nap? Have some caffeine right after school and get started on your homework then. If you go home and lay on your bed to study, well… that is going to result in a nap every time.
No, this is not healthy. You are taking those naps because you are exhausted. You have trouble concentrating because you are exhausted.
Hopefully you got enough sleep this weekend. Finish your homework now! Get to sleep at a decent hour tonight. Turn off your electronics and put them out of your bedroom, while you are sleeping and while you are working unless you need your computer to work.
Don’t nap tomorrow afternoon, with enough sleep tonight, that shouldn’t be too hard. If you have a parent around, ask them to help you stay focused and get your work done after school, or maybe they can call you from work every half hour or so to make sure you are doing your homework. If not, try something else. I don’t usually think it’s good for kids to listen to music while they are working but maybe something lively would help during the next few days while you adjust to a normal schedule. At some point in the afternoon it may also help to get a little exercise outside to help keep awake and give you some down time from schoolwork. Good luck.
Please please fix it as soon as you can. I have chronic insomnia now because I started doing this exact thing sophomore year. Lately I’ve had a lot of added stress (it’s my senior year, plus I have outside stress since my boyfriend broke up with me bc he went off to college) and I barely do anything or want to talk to anyone because my sleep mixed with all of the things going on have put me in a depressive state… I’ve been trying to start my homework early lately so that I get it done. Even right now I’m procrastinating (I have AP Calc and physics tests to study for). Force yourself to start your homework early, and really soak in the feeling that you get when it’s all completed. That should be your driving force to start a better schedule.
You really do not want to end up like me-- I get 2-3 hours of sleep a night, every night, and it’s absolutely horrible. It takes a toll on your test scores and, like you said, the concentration factor is a big issue. If you have any questions and need to message me, please let me know. Hope I could help
Thank you! And I know the struggle; I’ve been having problems with procrastination since 8th grade, but it really got worse this year. Hope you can get better too!
