May 14, 2026
By Camila Bernal
Staff Writer
While some students savor the extra few minutes of sleep the snooze button provides on school mornings, this action leaves others feeling remorseful.
Sophomore Chris Guzmán usually wakes up at 6:30 a.m. on school days, and if he sleeps in, he wakes up at 7-7:30 a.m. On weekends, he wakes up around 9 a.m., which he said he regrets because it leaves him less time for activities he enjoys.
Guzmán said after-school activities, including band, the International Culture Club and secretarial work, stop him from going to bed early.
“Generally, the reason I sleep in is that I didn’t go to sleep at the right time the day before,” Guzmán said. “I did a lot of things the day before, and I’m really tired by that point.”
Guzmán said he does not normally feel judged by his family or friends for sleeping late, but he does feel scrutinized when he gets a late pass from the Attendance Office.
“It feels like [LHS staff is] judging [and] trying to make us feel guilty for being late,” Guzmán said.
Unlike Guzmán, senior Aleksandra Wtulich said she enjoys sleeping in. She said she would like to wake up around 6:30 a.m. on school days, but lately has been waking up at 7-7:15 a.m. On weekends, she said she wakes up around 10 a.m.
“I used to feel really guilty sleeping in on weekdays because of school, but I no longer care as much,” Wtulich said.
She said she would rather be late if it means getting more rest and feeling better throughout the day.
“I have been called lazy [by my friends], but only as a joke. I don’t take it seriously because everyone sleeps in from time to time, and everyone needs rest. They should not be ashamed [of] needing more sleep,” Wtulich said.
Freshman Benjamin De La Cruz said he strives to wake up at 6:30 a.m. on school days but lately has been waking up later, around 7:20 a.m. On weekends, he said he wakes up at about 8:45 a.m.
“I have been called lazy [by my friends], but only as a joke. I don’t take it seriously because everyone sleeps in from time to time, and everyone needs rest. They should not be ashamed [of] needing more sleep.”
Like Guzmán, De La Cruz said he feels guilty about sleeping late because of his own discipline. He said he does not mind being called lazy for sleeping in, but his self-criticism made him realize that a better sleep schedule could improve his life.
“It has helped me try and improve my sleep schedule more because I do realize it’s very important for my health,” De La Cruz said.
He has been going to bed two hours earlier than he used to, now going to sleep around 10 p.m. on weekdays.
“I noticed that I don’t feel as tired anymore, and that I’m more focused [in school and extracurriculars] instead of focusing on going home and catching up on sleep,” De La Cruz said.
Choir director and outdoor track and field Assistant Coach Ms. Wise said teens should be responsible and set their own bedtimes, rather than have parents set them.
“They should, for their own health reasons, think to themselves, ‘Hey, when do I feel the best? If I have to wake up at this time, I should go to bed now and make sure I get those hours of sleep,’” Wise said.
She said that whether students communicate with peers through social media or another channel, socializing often affects teens’ sleep schedules.
“Social interactions [tend to] increase at those ages,” Wise said. “Back in my day, before social media, people were on the phone. People were sitting on the phone talking to each other, and it was just exciting, [so] they didn’t want to go to sleep.”
While Wise said sleep is important, she does not believe students can make up for their sleep deficits.
“You have to get proper sleep every day. You can’t say, ‘I had a hard week, so now I’m going to sleep [a lot].’ You can’t make up for sleep,” said Wise.
