Driving down Route 47 at 6:30 a.m.. Last night was hectic due to all the homework and working from 4 to 10. I slightly veer into the other lane, due to over tiredness a few times, risking my life to make it to class on time.

I am part of the MCC Culinary Management Program which requires me to be at Woodstock North High School for class by 7:00 a.m. leaving my house around 6:30.

With such a busy life and not managing to sleep well enough to function, I have issues with driving and not falling asleep.

“When I was working at Dairy Queen, I would drive home from work and get home around 11 or 12 at night,” senior Samantha Novak said. “I would feel myself doze off a little and thought that I shouldn’t do that.”

The amount of sleep we get each night affects our daily lives whether that be good or bad. I have had issues focusing on my schoolwork, my job, and other things in my life when I am sleep deprived.

While working a part-time job and getting a lot of homework each night, it makes it hard to go to bed early to try and get a good night of sleep.

“It’s really hard to focus in my classes because I am constantly so tired,” junior Braeden Clements said. “I usually spend a lot of money on caffeinated products to keep myself awake.”

Students that are part of the school in many ways are already overextending themselves. As someone who is part of Student Council, NHS, and Link Crew, I have a lot on my plate.

I also worry about things such as my MCC class, spending too much money, and figuring out where I am going to college next fall.

“I do a lot of music work with musicals and band,” Clements said. “It’s hard to read music or focus and do the multitask functions that are required to play music when you’re constantly tired.”

Although senior year is said to be the easiest, it gets stressful when thinking about college and my future plans. I need to be able to take a step back and relax instead of stressing so much about everything going on in life.