Virtual school has brought many changes. Schools across the United States have had to close as our nation deals with the reality of  COVID-19.  For students and teachers, this means more time to sleep in. Classes aren’t starting until 10 a.m. unlike the usual 7:45 a.m. For some students in the Freedom Area School District, on a typical school day, their day could start at 7 a.m with a morning bus ride. 

There are many benefits to sleeping in. We all know that feeling when you wake up from a nice nap. You feel refreshed and more relaxed. That’s because while you sleep your body is repairing and growing. When you take naps your body is relaxed but your mind is still running. Sleep is when your mind has time to catch up. Sleeping helps with so many things like reducing stress and can even help you lose weight. A sleep study showed that people who slept for at least an hour before a test got a better grade than those who did not take a nap before the test. When at rest you can relax and this will improve your mood as well.

A survey was sent electronically to students in Freedom Middle School. The purpose of the survey was to find out how late students were sleeping during virtual school days. This pie chart shows the results from 112 participants.

This data shows that nearly 80% of students surveyed are taking advantage of an opportunity to sleep past 8 a.m. However, this data does not show how late students are staying up. In order to get more sleep, you have to be going to bed at the same time. To have these many benefits you must get more sleep total rather than just sleeping in.