During the school week it is a frequent struggle for many student-athletes to fit sleep into their schedules. Instead of going to sleep at a reasonable hour, they are still completing homework for their classes after hours of practice or games. However, there are many time management skills that can be used to assist with getting get more sleep during the school week.

Sleep is vital for bodies to function to the best of their abilities. To reach the recommended healthy amount of sleep seven to nine hours of sleep is needed each night. This can be challenging due to academic, athletic, and family life.

Many students participate on AHC sports teams and possibly other travel teams. These events can cause the hour that students get home to be pushed back significantly.

“The later you come home, the later you start your homework, the later you go to bed,” mentioned student athlete, Kylee Sanders.

The amount of sleep is dramatically affected by the way a student manages their time after school. Many student-athletes just lack the time management skills needed to achieve maximum hours of sleep. Another student athlete, Caroline Freese, advised, “Get a planner so that you can organize all your homework at the beginning of the week; complete all written homework before studying; don’t procrastinate; try to complete homework right after school; and try to do some homework due the next day to stay ahead.”

Students on sports teams can use the weekend to get a head start on the work for the week. When homework is assigned, students benefit when they complete it right away or at least begin working on it.

Sanders also suggested a technique that is helpful to her stating, “I listen to music while working and it helps me stay focused on the work I’m doing.” This may seem like another distraction, but according to Psych Central it is shown that music helps relieve stress.

Freese ended the interview laughing, “Now I have to actually use these skills to finish all my homework!”