How to Stay Healthy in High School

Staying healthy is a struggle for people of all ages, but especially high schoolers that have packed schedules and busy social lives.  High Schoolers are forced to stay up late, wake up earlier, and have too much work to be thinking about how they treat their bodies and what can help make them feel less stressed and relaxed.  Here are 5 easy ways to stay healthy in High School:

1. Drink Water!

Drinking six to eight glasses of water each day has been proven to boost mental health.  

About 75% of the human brain is made up of water and not drinking enough can result in dehydration, which affects how people “think and feel by slowing circulation”(aifc).  Drinking one glass when you wake up and tow to three glasses after every meal has proven to boost mental health by combating dehydration.

2. Sleep!

Sleep plays a big role in students physical and mental health, but is one of the most

overlooked parts of our lives.  Teenagers should get 9 ½ hours of sleep each night, but the average teen sleeps for about 7-7 ½ hours.  Sleep deprivation has been proven to cause teenagers to become moody and easily irritated, have poor decision making skills, and get lower grades.  Although it is extremely difficult for teenagers to meet the sleep requirement each day, you can take 15-20 minute naps after school, maintain a sleeping schedule, stay off screens before bed, and avoid caffeine to stop sleep deprivation (nationwide children).

3.Eat Breakfast

Breakfast is looked over in many high schoolers lives because we would rather sleep an extra 20 minutes than wake up and eat the most important meal of the day.  Eating breakfast has been proved to boost energy through eating nutritious foods that contain “calcium, iron, B vitamins, proteins, and fibers “(shakeupyourwakeup).  Eating Breakfast has also been proven  to cause your metabolism to work faster, making it easier to burn calories throughout the day (WebMD).

4. Exercise

Exercise may be the most important way to stay healthy.  Exercising has been proven to reduce the chances of developing diabetes and heart disease and boost the size of the hippocampus, the gland in the brain that is linked to memory.  Exercising increases the level of endorphins in the brain, a chemical linked to happiness that helps with stress, anxiety, and depression, issue many high schoolers are faced with (Harvard Medical School).  So go out on a walk or o a bike ride!

5. Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a new trend that has been sweeping the nation that actually works in curing mental health problems!  Mindfulness is “maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment” (Berkley).  Mindfulness Meditation has helped people cope with stress and depression, as well as a skill set to maintain a healthy mind (Mental Health).  The Mindful lifestyle can be achieved through meditation and being aware of your body and what is going on around you.  So, take five minutes out of your day to reflect and use your senses to keep a positive mindset!