Having an unhealthy lifestyle can lead to many negative mental and physical health consequences, potentially affecting performance in class. Common bad habits include not eating well and not sleeping enough due to numerous activities and classwork. Therefore, health organizations encourage students to break away from destructive habits by making better nutritional choices and devoting more time to sleep.

   To maintain a sound lifestyle, diet is a key factor. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, it is imperative for adolescents to maintain a healthy diet in order to develop and grow properly and to avoid other health issues such as obesity, iron deficiency and osteoporosis. Confronting malnutrition, First Lady Michelle Obama enacted the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act requiring schools to meet a certain dietary balance. Regarding personal efforts, students may also try to break away from harmful eating habits by switching to vegetarianism, pescetarianism, veganism and other alternative diets.

   “I definitely did not think that a diet could affect my life in the way that it did,” junior Cathy Kim said. “The major difference [between] before I was vegan and now is feeling more mindful in my everyday actions.”

   Another aspect of maintaining a healthy lifestyle in terms of diet is trying to avoid eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder. However, breaking away from these conditions is more difficult than simply changing a diet. Therapy and clinical treatment are often required to successfully treat these disorders.

   The National Eating Disorder Association states that 35 to 57 percent of adolescent girls engage in fasting, crash dieting, diet pills, laxatives or self-induced vomiting. Eating disorders can lead to many health problems and eventually death, if not addressed.

   “A variety of biological, social and psychological factors can contribute to the onset of an eating disorder,” school nurse Wendy Keller said. “A person’s productivity may decrease [causing] weakness and the brain does not function as efficiently with the lack of nutrition.”

   Maintaining a healthy sleep schedule helps people stay away from unhealthy habits. During the school year, many students lose sleep by trying to balance extracurricular activities, homework and jobs. According to the National Sleep Foundation, a healthy sleep range for teenagers between 14 and 17 years old is eight to 10 hours every night. Lack of sleep can impede upon students’ abilities to think clearly and work productively in school. To manage their workload, some students choose not to take a zero period in order to have extra time to sleep.

   “I think not having a zero period has provided needed rest that helps me concentrate more in school,” junior Nisha Nirmal said. “Less sleep definitely affected my concentration and ability to learn, which led to more time doing homework because I was not able to fully understand the concepts in the classroom.”

   According to HealthDay News, more than 80 percent of teenagers have unhealthy nutritional habits or are physically inactive. These factors can affect teenagers’ overall physical and mental healths and alter their lifestyles as well.

   “Students need to establish a healthy lifestyle [when] they are young, for it is much harder to start a routine as an adult,” Keller said. “Students need good nutrition, hydration and sleep to work at an optimal level. This gives them the best chance at doing well in school and in sports.”