Will Sharis

Taylor English sleeps after racing at the Head of the Charles instead of doing her homework.

Student-athletes have to deal with the battle between school stress and lack of sleep which can and often leads to suffering grades

Every sport requires a large amount of time and dedication from student-athletes who have to juggle both the responsibilities of playing a school sport and going to school. During the sports season, practice, games and traveling all take time in a student’s schedule that is often absent when they are out of season. Sports usually change students’ lifestyles and schoolwork the most. 

Athletics affect students in different ways, especially when regarding sleep. Junior Ava Satterfield said, “It is a constant balance either doing schoolwork or sleep after practices and competitions. Usually, sleep wins.” With the standard high school student averaging way less sleep than is recommended, sports hurts the chances of students-athletes even more than the average student when trying to get enough sleep. 

This tug of war of sleep and homework does not just affect the physical aspect of students, but also the mental side. Students are already stressed by homework and sleep, but with free time in their schedules, it causes more stress for students like baseball player Chris Ferrell. Ferrell said, “The stress seems to seep into my mind in everything from driving to just eating when I am in school and in season.” 

The stress also stems from the fact that athletes need more sleep than an average teenager. Athletes need to recover from the massive expenditure of energy spent on their sport, and that recovery must come from sleep. Without sleep, athletes suffer from the lack of sufficient recovery and do poorly in a sport which they spend a large portion of their childhood trying to become better at.

During the spring and summer season, baseball often takes precedence over homework in Senior Chris Ferrell’s life. Ferrell said, “My grades often suffer during the season often because I prioritize my sport and from the fact that I’m often tired during the day.” Ferrell is not alone as he fits into the national data. On average, most student-athletes do worse in school than their regular counterparts in school. Although not all, most athlete’s grades drop when they are in season, due to a lack of sleep and time management.