"I'm Unhappy Because of Studying": High School Students Average 6 Hours of Sleep... Happiness Plummets

Less Than 6 Hours of Sleep for 46.7%... Only 5.5% Get 8 or More Hours
Academic Pressure Tops List of Reasons for Suicidal Thoughts and Unhappiness

Nearly half of general high school students are getting less than six hours of sleep per day. The academic burden has gone beyond sleep deprivation, leading to deteriorating mental health, decreased happiness, and even thoughts of dropping out of school, affecting all aspects of students' daily lives.

Students taking the mock test for the College Scholastic Ability Test. Photo by The Asia Business Daily

According to the "Basic Analysis Report on the Human Rights Status of Korean Children and Adolescents" released by the National Youth Policy Institute on January 7, a survey of 2,258 general high school students nationwide found that 46.7% reported getting less than six hours of sleep per day as of 2024.

Breaking it down, 29.7% said they slept between five and six hours, while 17.0% reported sleeping less than five hours. The largest group, 30.8%, slept between six and seven hours. The overall average sleep duration was only 6.0 hours. Only 5.5% of students said they slept eight hours or more, which is the recommended amount for adolescents.

The main reason cited for lack of sleep was studying. The highest percentage, 25.5%, pointed to home study such as online lectures and homework as the cause of insufficient sleep, followed by private academies and tutoring at 19.3%, and nighttime self-study at 13.4%. The analysis indicates that study schedules extending beyond regular school hours are encroaching on students' sleep time.

Academic Burden Shakes Mental Health and Happiness

The impact of academic pressure was also evident in mental health indicators. Among general high school students, 30.5% said they had thought about suicide, and of these, 46.4% cited grades and academic pressure as the reason. Another 25.2% pointed to anxiety about their future career path.

In contrast, among specialized high school students, who generally experience less academic pressure, 23.3% said they had considered suicide, which is 6.2 percentage points lower than general high school students. The proportion who cited academic reasons for suicidal thoughts was also lower at 23.6%, 22.8 percentage points less than their general high school counterparts.

Happiness was also closely linked to academic stress. Among general high school students, 19.5% rated themselves as unhappy, meaning one in five students felt this way. The most common reason for unhappiness was grades and academic burden (54.9%), followed by anxiety about their future career path (24.0%).

Fatigue and lethargy caused by academic demands also led students to question whether they should continue attending school. Among general high school students, 38.7% said they had thought about quitting school. The most common reason was "because I felt bothered and didn't want to do anything" at 25.1%, followed by "because I didn't want to study" at 22.6%, and "because my grades were not good" at 21.6%.