You wake up to the sound of your alarm screeching at your bedside table. You look into your phone’s bright rays and think of how many things you could get done if you woke up now. Still, the thought of an extra hour of peaceful sleep continues to enter your mind, so you press snooze and snuggle up to your blanket, losing the valuable time you could have in your morning to prepare yourself for the day.
Students at schools around the country have a hard time with their morning routine. Since Loy Norrix begins school at 7:31 a.m., this leaves little room in students’ morning routines. Whether it means that they struggle to fit in time for important habits, getting a good meal in, or being awake and ready for school, as junior Dimitri Agdanowski knows all too well.
“If I was up late then I will be really tired in the morning and I won’t want to wake up on time,” said Agdanowski.
When working on assignments students may have a hard time with being tired. During the early hours of the day, teachers struggle with students not paying attention.
According to Teens and Sleep written by Eric Suni of the Sleep Foundation, a great way to start a productive morning is a full night’s sleep. Suni wrote that for the health of students, an 8-10 hour sleep is required.
Not getting enough sleep can lead to non-productive morning routines, leading to students sleeping during class.
“It depends on the class, but I would say there’s at least a couple kids sleeping every day,” said choral director Marisa Bergh.
One vital piece of a morning routine everyone needs is a nutritional breakfast, according to the Better Health Channel, breakfast “replenishes your supply of glucose to boost your energy levels and alertness, while also providing other essential nutrients required for good health.”
One thing that has a big impact on students’ energy and productivity throughout the day is their routine. All students have habits that they follow to get ready for school, even the simplest of routines. Agdanowski knows that his routine is simplistic and not the healthiest, but it helps him prepare for the school day.
“I wouldn’t consider it productive just because I really don’t do much. I just wake up and go to school,” said Agdanowski.
Conversely, a routine packed with healthy habits can help set up your day for success with all the energy that you will need for the day. Of course, not everyone will have the most structured routine but creating healthy habits to follow can be beneficial physically and mentally. physically, and mentally.
Simple things like light exercise, eating good foods, and avoiding your phone could help someone start a productive day.
Of course not all morning routines are sunshine and rainbows: there are of course conflicts that arise when getting ready for the day. No matter the size of the conflict it can disrupt the flow of someone’s routine, and these conflicts can differ between age groups. Teachers and students have very different routines. Students may have to pack their lunch or finish work for a class, while teachers may have to get their families up and ready for the day and themselves at the same time. Some of these things can cause stress and anxiety which doesn’t set a good standard for the rest of the day.
“Our school just starts really early, and so I’m up at 5:00 to get myself and my kids ready,” said Bergh. “Depending on what you have going on the night before, you can’t get a full seven or eight hours.”
Even a simple routine can put you ahead so much more than you could ever imagine, fixing little things like resolving conflicts, eating a nutritious meal and having the discipline to wake up without hitting snooze.
