By Gwendolyn Bickerton
Sycamore City Reporter
I have never enjoyed learning as much as I have at Girls State. Our mythical state is full of the kindest, friendliest, and dare I say, the most intelligent girls of Arizona.
I believe what we have learned here is so valuable. I would not change a thing! Except perhaps the overwhelming burden of sleep deprivation I currently hold.
As a possessor of many positions (which I am so blessed to have) I have stayed up, rose early, and scavenged for time to get my work done. It seems to me, at least in the experience that I have, that getting all my tasks done and having an adequate amount of sleep is impossible.
What do I mean by adequate amount of sleep? Do not get me wrong, compared to other girls in ours tate, I get a lot of sleep. I have been averaging about 7 and a half hours of sleep a night. However, 7 and a half hours is not enough.
According to Michael Crocetti, a John Hopkins pediatrician, teenagers need 9 to 9 and a half hours of sleep per night. This is because, “teenagers are going through a second developmental state of cognitive maturation.”
We need this sleep in order to pay attention, socialize, write speeches, finish out city books and take care of ourselves. Are the girls at Girls State getting the sleep they need?
I took a poll of thirteen citizens from Sycamore on how many hours of sleep they think they are getting. The numbers ranged from as low as 4 to as high as 8; averaging to around 6 hours of sleep each night.
According to the statistics state before, this is not an adequate amount of sleep especially for girls working as hard as ours.
So whey do I speak of sleep? Is it to feel pity? Perhaps to raise awareness?
Perhaps I myself am so tired that all I can think of is sleep, and that is why I created an article about it.
Perhaps I speak of sleep to encourage my readers. The fact of the matter is, healthy boundaries need to be set to take care of your body.
So if you are stressing to get work done, hoping to stay up late socializing, or even just want more time on your phone; I encourage you to recognize what you actually need.
You need to rest, refresh, restart so that tomorrow’s challenges can be addressed by a better version of yourself.
So tonight, even if it is hard, set aside enough time to rest. “The trick is not counting cows, it is knowing when to stop watching them pass by.” – Chat GPT
In this regard, do not let the hours you could be resting pass you by. Sleep well my loves!