EARLY BIRD OR NIGHT OWL? EARLY BIRD OR NIGHT OWL?

Examining students’ morning and evening routines

BY CHIRAN ARUMUGAM

Night Routines

Just as a morning routine helps set the tone for the day, a nighttime routine helps sophomore Ethan Chu wind down and prepare for a good night’s sleep. Before bed, Chu takes a shower and applies moisturizer, then changes into clothes for the next day.

“I created this routine for efficiency,” Chu said. “When I change to go to school, [I] pretty much [stay] in the clothes I went to bed [with] and I put clothes on top of that before I leave.”

Chu thinks that the benefits of a nighttime routine extend beyond his personal preferences: he says a wellestablished routine can help create a sense of order in one’s life.

“If you shower in the morning, at least [for me], then you’re in a rush to get to school, and it’s very obvious that you shower in the morning,” Chu said.

Furthermore, Chu also has a strong cultural influence that helped to shape his routine.

“I live in an Asian household,” Chu said. “Everything has to be clean when you go inside; outside the house is the ‘outside’ and the inside is seen as clean.”

By taking the time to care for himself in the evening, Chu feels ready and prepared for the day ahead, both physically and mentally. According to Li, a good routine can mean something different to everyone. From waking up and exercising to staying up to do work, Li believes that one depends on one’s goals. Like Mishra, junior Katherine Li wakes up early, but instead does homework, gets ready and takes time to relax with her more “loose” routine.

“My routine is really dependent on how I feel at the moment,” Li said. “If I shower in the night or the morning, I don’t really care, it’s more like a timing thing.”

Li says creating a good routine should also depend on her mood and having flexible routines, rather than sticking to a certain schedule every day.

“I know there’s a bunch [of] scheduling I see on social media where it’s like by this time I have to do this and by this time I have to do this,” Li said. “However, I find that a looser schedule works for me and gives me less stress because I don’t have to add more deadlines for myself.”

77% of MVHS students shower at night *According should explore what works best for themselves.

“I think if other people [want a] good routine, they should modify it in ways to fit their mood and their needs,” Li said.