It’s 2 a.m. on a school night and sophomore Vanessa Casillas has yet to go to bed. It’s getting late and sleep is the last thing on her mind. She silently reaches to grab her phone, her eyes glance downward as another text appears. It has become a routine, even though she knows that it’s affecting her sleep.
“Even when I’m tired I still keep on texting,” Casillas said. Although texting before sleeping might not seem like a concern, it can affect your day, causing mood problems, ADHD, and learning difficulties. Casillas noted that “It somewhat does effect [her] by causing [her] to not be able to concentrate in class.”
Research reveals that pulling out your cell phone before bedtime gives a likelier chance of suffering from sleeping disorders. It is recommended that young adults need about nine hours of sleep, though most only get about six. However, getting enough sleep is an increasingly difficult challenge as the school year continues.
In a survey done by TISD, 85 percent of students have received or sent texts between the hours of 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. “I don’t really mind it, I’m used to it, I do it almost everyday” sophomore Becca Kendrick said. “It only affects my mood depending on what I was talking about, but it doesn’t really affect my sleep.”
Sleep makes the difference of waking up feeling drained and irritated or patient and focused.
“It does effect how I sleep and I get up a little later than I should,” sophomore Liz Redmon said, “But besides that I enjoy texting and it doesn’t bother me”
“To me it doesn’t matter because when I’m asleep and I get a text I get up and reply to it,” Casillas said, further proving the apathy of teenagers when it comes to their sleeping habits. Even though their tired teens text continuously, parents don’t seem to do much to step in and prevent it from happening.
“If they did care they would stop,” parent Diana Valadez said, “and they would realize the effects it has on them.”
It is suggested that parents should make appropriate times for text messaging and set a limit.
“I would set limits, I would take away their computer, iPod and phone,” parent Carolina Ortiz said. “And I would give them a certain time limit.”
Unfortunately, many teens will react negatively when parents start to do so.
“I wouldn’t care if they get mad,” Valadez said. “They would need to understand that’s it’s for their own sake.”
Of course, to teens it may seem impossible to give up their cell phones just to catch a few more hours of sleep. “I do think parents should set a limit,” Casillas said, “But I wouldn’t really like that.”
“I would be a little mad but I would realize that it’s only going to help me get better sleep,” sophomore Evila Valadez said. “And that they care enough to set boundaries.”
As Vanessa sends her last text for the night, she glances at the clock, 3 a.m. Another sleepless night thanks to texting. The next day, she sleeps through most of her classes, regretting staying up late.
