Although I was worried when I read that Singapore tied with Japan as the country with the least amount of sleep out of 100 nations, I was not surprised (Don't sleep on it - discover benefits of snoozing longer; March 17).

My classmates and I get only about five to seven hours of sleep a night on average.

We have co-curricular activities on two or three days out of five, which end at around 6pm. It is at least 9pm before we start on our homework after our shower and dinner.

While doing our homework, we may procrastinate and be distracted by our electronic devices and social media. It is late in the night before we finally go to bed.

One solution for students is to work out a timetable and stick to it. Planning our limited time well is very important, especially for those who tend to procrastinate. To avoid distractions, we can put our devices out of sight, for instance, in another room.

Teachers can lessen the workload for students during the competition seasons. Students can also ask for extensions of deadlines when they know they are busier and will not be able to hand in their work on time.

Singaporeans are becoming more aware of the importance of quality and adequate sleep, and are making changes.

Sleeping longer definitely has its benefits, including decreased incidence of diseases and absenteeism, and better performance in school and at work.

Ivon Kong Ching Mun,15,

Secondary 4 student

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