Most teenagers are so sleep deprived they’re “walking zombies,” according to leading sleep researcher James B. Maas.

Sophomore Tori Seidenstein isn’t one of these zombies. She recently completed the PrepMatters sleep challenge, sleeping at least eight hours a night for three weeks and winning the chance to enter a drawing that earned her $1,000 toward PrepMatters tutoring. Seidenstein learned of her win April 19.

PrepMatters director Ned Johnson created the sleep challenge because he believes sleep enhances both health and learning ability.

“Rested brains work well,” he said. “Unrested brains don’t.”

Johnson issued the challenge to about 30 students present at a February discussion. Students who verified three weeks’ worth of eight hours of sleep could enter the drawing but only one other student besides Seidenstein got enough sleep to enter.

Though Seidenstein is excited about her win, she admits that getting enough sleep can be difficult. It was easier during the challenge because the large sum of money involved kept her motivated, she said.

“I really wanted the prize,” she said. “I just worked around the inconveniences. It was hard on the weekends because I wanted to go out to concerts and debate tournaments. But it was worth it.”

Despite the challenges presented by her schedule, Seidenstein plans to keep up her sleep routine as much as possible.

“When I don’t sleep a lot it’s much harder to focus on my work,” she said. “After a certain point I’m not productive anymore.”

While Seidenstein relies on sleep to stay productive, some students find it a little easier to stay awake. Sophomore Nathan Liu sleeps just four and a half to five hours a night. Finishing his homework keeps him up late and he sees no way to change that, he said.

“We are in the prime of our youth,” Liu said. “I can go to bed at two or three and wake up a few hours later and I’m not tired.”

The sleep contest helped Seidenstein realize the benefits of sleeping more, she said.

Teenagers aren’t aware of what they are sacrificing when they give up sleep, Johnson said.

“It makes you unhealthy, uncoordinated, and your brain doesn’t work as well,” he said.