You wake up at 6 a.m., and rush to get ready in time to catch your bus. As you plunk down in your mods 1-2 class at 7:30 a.m., you yawn, exhausted from staying up late last night to finish your Advanced Placement English homework. By noon, your stomach growls loudly as you pass the cafeteria. You do not have a lunch so you must revert to nibbling on snacks in your classes. Sleep and a proper lunch are crucial to student health and should not be sacrificed for the need to overachieve.

The pressure of the Lowell environment to take seven classes and many APs results in a lack of sleep and lunch mod for students. When students choose to take seven classes, they waive their right to a lunch. This is especially problematic because students who do not want to wake up for a Mods 1-2 class or need to get out of school early, after Mods 16-17, choose to opt out of a proper lunch period. Students yield to the pressure to overachieve at the cost of their health. Poorly developed eating habits in teenagers increases their likelihood of obesity. The rate of obesity is already high in American adolescents 12-19 years old, 18.1 percent of whom are obese, according to PhysOrg (www.physorg.com). This issue is, surprisingly, also connected to homework habits.

Sadly, many students must do their homework and study for tests for hours far into the night, failing to get the proper amount of sleep. Studies show that students who sleep less than eight hours a night increase their chances of obesity by eating higher proportions of fatty food. According to a Sept. 3 article in Medical News Weekly, teens who sleep less than eight hours a night consume 2.2 percent more calories from fats and 3 percent fewer calories from carbs than teens who sleep eight or more hours. Since only 34 percent of teenagers sleep for an average of eight hours per night or more a week, the majority of teenagers are consuming non-nutritional calories.

In the future, when students enter the working world, they will be protected by laws about workers’ right to lunch. California Labor and Employment Law states that “a non-exempt worker [is] entitled to meal and rest breaks: a 30-minute meal break if you work more than 5 hours in a workday” (www.calaborlaw.com).  But in high school, students must also be responsible and care for their own health because students face a similar workload as an adult and should be entitled to meals and rest breaks, too. By maintaining a regular and reasonable lunch period, students are more likely to feel energized and productive throughout the day.

Teenagers who feel self-pity as they finish tedious homework may look to non-nutritional or other high calorie snacks for reward and as a means of happiness. According to a Sept. 1 article in Science Daily, sleep restriction promotes reward-seeking behaviors; teenagers start eating more to reward themselves for staying up late to finish work.

Inefficient eating habits, not only leads to less energy, but less exercise. Because students feel more tired, they start to lose the physical and motivational drive to exercise. Lack of exercise in teens alters their energy balance and body mass index (BMI), especially in girls, which can result in greater chances of obesity.

Many students who have the midday filled with classes are not free to take even a small break other than the new eight-minute passing mods, hardly enough time to pass by the beanery. Therefore, they concentrate mainly on academics, which prevents them from growing socially as a person, another important aspect of school. Lunch periods allow students to meet new people and develop strong friendships, which is essential to any teenager’s overall mental health.

Because the number of Lowell students who sign away their lunches is increasing, they are part of the problem. But there is hope. According to an Aug. 30 Chronicle article (www.sfgate.com), a recent study found that the more youth are aware of their nutritional needs, the better choices they will make.

The pressures of Lowell to be academically successful are problematic to the students’ physical, mental, and social health. Students must understand the importance of developing a life outside of academics, and try to balance work with rest and healthy food. A first step is choosing to have a lunch period. With it, they can take the time to de-stress with friends and develop healthy eating habits. By relaxing with friends, students can focus on homework when they get home and not procrastinate, resulting in more sleep. For all work and no play — or pasta — makes a student have a bad day.

This article first appeared in the October 8, 2010 issue of The Lowell.