I am currently a Sophomore in High School and have been having a few problems. As you can tell by the subject title, my focus has been quite off. When I was in middle school, my grades were in the A-A+ range; In my freshman year, they were in the B-A- range. Now, my grades are around a C-B-. This is very unorthodox for me. I go to a very good prep school with a large work load and high expectations, but I feel as though i can live up to those.
However, the workload and...well "Sophomore stuff" (for lack of a better phrase) is not the problem. When I read things or try to solve a math problem, my brain just can't stay focused on it. I've found myself reading the same sentence several times without even realizing what it was about. What is strange is that this does not occur when I read a novel, but rather something more like a textbook. I find myself staring at math problems for long periods of time. I was very good at math; i went to competitions and all and did well. I do play videogames alot (sometimes in access) to either keep myself awake or just break.
I don't believe I have ADD or ADHD, considering I never had these problems before. I am fairly healthy, although my diet lacks... well, healthy things. Thanks to homework and all, my stress level is always quite high. I have never drank or done drugs, nor do I plan on it. What I think might be the problem is my lack of sleep. I get roughly 30-25 hours of sleep on weekdays (6-5 hours of sleep a night) and about 8-10 hours a night on weekends. This has been regular for a few months. I never believed lack of sleep could EVER be an issue, but now I am quite skeptical. Please, help me. I have been very depressed because of my lack of efficiency. I feel like an id**t compared to my genius friends. Do you believe it is my lack of sleep or something else?
However, the workload and...well "Sophomore stuff" (for lack of a better phrase) is not the problem. When I read things or try to solve a math problem, my brain just can't stay focused on it. I've found myself reading the same sentence several times without even realizing what it was about. What is strange is that this does not occur when I read a novel, but rather something more like a textbook. I find myself staring at math problems for long periods of time. I was very good at math; i went to competitions and all and did well. I do play videogames alot (sometimes in access) to either keep myself awake or just break.
I don't believe I have ADD or ADHD, considering I never had these problems before. I am fairly healthy, although my diet lacks... well, healthy things. Thanks to homework and all, my stress level is always quite high. I have never drank or done drugs, nor do I plan on it. What I think might be the problem is my lack of sleep. I get roughly 30-25 hours of sleep on weekdays (6-5 hours of sleep a night) and about 8-10 hours a night on weekends. This has been regular for a few months. I never believed lack of sleep could EVER be an issue, but now I am quite skeptical. Please, help me. I have been very depressed because of my lack of efficiency. I feel like an id**t compared to my genius friends. Do you believe it is my lack of sleep or something else?
Well, lack of sleep (remember – 7/8 hours a night is an optimum) is a big part of your problems, but second, maybe more important part that just enhances troubles with sleep might be the growing feelings of low self-esteem and maybe even depression because you yourself feel like you are not accomplishing everything you are capable of. The best thing you could do right now is to go and talk to a professional – a counselor or psychologist who could help you to make your priorities straight and help you with the specific issues you are facing with.