A typical daily routine for a teenager is simple: wake up, go to school, go home, do homework, go to sleep, repeat. However, time is a limited resource for students to work with, making it hard to obtain the perfect amount of sleep.

According to Arizona Republic, Arizona teens sleep less than seven hours a night on average, less than the nationally recommended eight and a half to nine and fourth hours of sleep.

Students find themselves with a lot to do during the day. Some teens have more responsibilities than others do and finding the optimal amount of sleep is critical.

However, everyone knows that getting a good night’s rest is like playing flappy bird: frustrating. Try finding the perfect night’s sleep knowing that there is less time to sleep successfully some nights than others.

Test takers know the importance of getting a good night’s rest so performance is not overshadowed by exhaustion. On top of that, teachers would prefer their students being awake during their critically-important yet long lectures, because sleeping during lectures is considered disrespectful. How many times can a teacher say “pay attention, this will be on the test” without getting frustrated? This is why teens need the necessary amount of sleep- to survive the high school jungle.

One would think that the solution to this problem is simple- go to bed earlier. The reality of this claim is that it is a major misconception that goes beyond a teenager’s busy schedule. According to USA Today, doing so will shift a teen’s biological clock and cause a delay in the release of the chemical melatonin- which is the chemical in the body that stimulates sleep. In short, the simple adjustment will only expand the problem not just for teenaged mind, but more importantly for the adolescent body — making the “easy fix” not as it sounds.

Getting the best amount of sleep is important for teenagers, and learning to find the balance between activities and sleep is the best way to find the perfect amount of sleep.