Sleep Smarts: helping youth thrive from bedtime to morning

Published 1:30 am Friday, March 13, 2026

Question: I’m a high schooler, and I have so much going on every day that I can’t seem to get enough sleep. I know sleep is important, but between after-school programs, sports, and then getting home around 7 or 8 at night, I end up studying late. I also like to take early classes, so it feels like I’m always tired and never really catch up on sleep.

How can I balance all these things and still get enough rest without falling behind or stressing out?

Answer: This is such a valid question and one that many youth struggle with. How can you balance everything when it feels like there are not enough hours in the day? It sounds like your schedule is really packed, and sometimes when we overload ourselves, basic human needs like sleep and rest fall to the wayside. We feel like we can ‘catch up’ on them at a later date, as other pieces of our lives seem more important at the time.

It is great that you are aware of how important sleep is to your overall well-being, as sleep has many impacts on our physical and mental health. Part of me wonders if some of the stress you are experiencing is coming from not getting enough sleep to begin with. Poor sleep has been linked to increased levels of anxiety, depression, and stress. It also impacts our cognitive functioning, including memory, learning and decision making.

By not getting enough sleep, some folks find themselves in this vicious cycle of experiencing chronic exhaustion which then exacerbates other issues like stress. They find that their stress levels increase, and then they struggle with sleep, but cannot sleep because they are stressed. It’s a bit like the snake eating its own tail. While the idea of catching up on sleep is hopeful in nature, it is a fallacy that you can fully catch up on lost sleep and completely undo the damage of sleep deprivation. While some studies show that “catch-up” sleep offers partial, temporary recovery, it does not fully reverse the negative health effects caused by chronic sleep deprivation.

It sounds like you are trying really hard in all aspects of your life to put your best foot forward. Your drive and ambition are certainly traits you should be proud of. But when we don’t provide ourselves the opportunity for rest, it can quite quickly lead to burnout. Right now, you are engaging in so many different tasks. What would it be like to pause one of those? Is there any part of your routine where you feel there is flexibility? Know that no outward entity is going to care about your overall well-being more than you do, so learning to set boundaries for yourself and knowing that it is okay for some areas to fall off is essential. It is a bit of a balancing act, and you get to decide where you place your energy, knowing that not every facet of your life can be at 100% all the time.

Remember, the most effective approach to good sleep hygiene is to maintain a consistent sleep schedule. Setting yourself a bedtime and sticking to it may prove helpful. Set a time that feels realistic and doable for your lifestyle. And set a challenge for yourself: What would happen if you prioritized sleep and rest the way you do grades, classes, and extracurriculars? Maybe you will end up with exactly what you need.

If you’re a youth or parent with a question, visit our website at askbys.org and click on “Ask a Therapist.”

Megan Bradley is a licensed mental health counselor associate for Bainbridge Youth Services, which has a monthly column in this newspaper.