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Studies about lack of sleep in students
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The effect of lack of sleep on high school students
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In the two passages that I had read have two different claims on what time high school should start. Each author uses evidence to support their claim. In this essay it will explain if school should start early or later and explain each author’s overall claim on what time high school should start.
In “High School Starting Later to Help Sleepy Teens” the author claims that high schoolers need more sleep. The author says that over 20% of students in high school students fall asleep in class because they don’t get sleep. Experts say that teens need about 9 hours of sleep a day. Schools in some states had switched the elementary school time with the high school time as a test. To see if students are more alert at a later time. Studies
Sleep! That wonderful, blissful void between last night and this morning. Sleep is one of the most basic functions of life. Nearly all creatures must sleep in order to properly carry out tasks; teenagers are no exception. The typical teenager needs an average of nine to ten hours of sleep a night in order for their brains to be capable of working at full capacity. School starts so early that they infringe upon that basic necessity. In order for teens to receive an adequate amount of sleep, it is mandatory to enact later start times for high schools across the country.
In the two articles, “High Schools Starting Later to Help Sleepy Teens” by Michelle Trudeau and “High Schools Will Keep Starting Too Early. Here’s why” by Dan Weissman. Each author uses different evidence to support his or her claim about school starting times. According to “High School Starting Later to Help Sleepy Teens”, most teenagers are not getting the proper rest at night and is causing a severe consequence to their everyday experiences. Students need sleep because it can prevent a child from falling asleep in class and helping the child focus. “students reported less depression when there was a later starting time.”
Despite popular opinion, to be beneficial, schools should continue on their current schedules, and not start later. Starting schools later can have a variety of positive and negative consequences on students. Schools currently are at a time that gives students enough lesson time to learn subjects, but still have time to relax and take part in other activities after school. Also many families depend on the time school starts to have easy transportation to school and work. Starting schools later will take away students time to do activities of their choice such as spend time with their families, socialize with others, and participate in extracurricular activities.
According to the National Sleep Foundation, biological sleep patterns change throughout the stages of adolescence. ¨Biological sleep patterns shift toward later times for both sleeping and waking during adolescence-meaning it is natural to not be able to fall asleep before 11:00pm.¨ (¨Teens and Sleep¨). Messing with these sleep cycles in the long run and lead to sleep disorders. Research done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests teenagers 13-18 years old should regularly sleep 8-10 hours each night for a healthy sleep. The teens who do not get a good amount of sleep are more likely to suffer from mental conditions, smoking, illicit drugs, and alcohol use. ¨Not getting enough sleep is common among high school students and is associated with several health risks including being overweight, drinking alcohol, smoking tobacco, and using drugs, as well as poor academic performance.¨ (¨Schools Start Too Early¨). On an NBC news story, Hilton Head Island High School moved its start time and benefits were noticeable. Students had higher test score averages and grades improved throughout the school.A study done in 2008 published in the journal of clinical sleep, found car accident rates fell by 16.5% when students were more aware on the road, not having to wake up before 7 am.
Teens are wired to be night owls and are still required to sleep at least a whole 9 hours to be able to function properly. Studies show that a school with later arrival times is 16.5% less likely to have a car crash than a school with earlier start times. Sleep is very important in order to reduce teen car crashes. If students don’t graduate from high school then who will teach them how go through life. Later school leads to higher graduation rates.
15% percent of high schools start from at least 8:30 or later and 40% of high schools start before 8:00 a.m. Therefore, school should be later because of adolescent mental strength advancing, adolescent health improving and the safety it a later start time provides for teens.
Justin O’Neil says in his article called “Should Schools Start Later?” “Teens need at least 8.5 hours of sleep each night.” Students have work, after school activities, and homework that keep them awake longer. They have to get up early to go to school, and they don’t get the 8.5 recommended hours. “The body’s circadian rhythm--that is, its natural sense of time--shifts during adolescence” (O’Neil).
Lack of sleep of teens is not caused by choice. Many teens do not choose to stay up late at night because they are out or having fun. The body has circadian rhythms. “These rhythms are generated internally and develop without any social or environmental cues. Adolescents experience a natural circadian phase delay and, therefore, tend to stay up later and sleep in later than in preadolescents” (Final Report Summary, 2001). The opening and closing schedules of schools are not based on these rhythms but are based on the business world and what is best for it. “School schedules should be adapted to the unique needs of different sub-populations of pupils. The administrator must not bear the sole responsibility for planning class schedules” (...
Elementary, middle, and high school would get out at different times. Also teenagers, kids or children sleep during class, because they stayed up to late on the internet or either watching tv. Most teens need 8 ½ - 9 hours of sleep each night,to be awake and completely active (kids Health). Early start times in some schools also might play a role in lost sleep. Teens who fall asleep after midnight may still have to get up early for school, meaning that they might squeeze in only 6 or 7 hours of sleep a night (kids
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says that students aren’t getting adequate amounts of sleep and this is a problem. It was said that “The CDC’s recommendations come a year after the American Academy of Pediatrics urged schools to adjust start times so more kids would get the recommended 8.5 to 9.5 hours of nightly rest.” (“Why School Should”). This tells us that students need a certain amount of sleep to function properly. An article from neatoday.org states “Unfortunately, concerns about lack of sleep often get the brush-off from schools and even some parents who are quick to blame inattentiveness in school solely on teen behavior, laziness, general indifference, or all of the above. If only they went to bed earlier, concentration and attentiveness would improve. But in their report, the researchers say that schools are ignoring adolescent biology and are systematically restricting the time available for sleep and causing severe and chronic sleep loss.” (“Despite Proven Benefits”) An example of this is helping with student academics. The Atlantic also regards in their article that “Researchers analyzed data from more than 9,000 students at eight high schools in Minnesota, Colorado, and Wyoming and found that shifting the school day later in the morning resulted in a boost in attendance, test scores, and grades in math, English, science, and social studies. Schools also saw a decrease in tardiness, substance abuse, and symptoms of depression. Some even had a dramatic drop in teen car crashes.” (“Why School Should”). From this data you can see that through the right amount of sleep, students are able to better perform in learning
Kathryn Colburn Honors English 9 – Period 1 TPQ #1 9/22/14 The average high school student will get about seven hours of sleep each night; this may seem reasonable to the majority of adults, but studies show that most teens need at least nine hours of sleep, if not more, to function at their best during the day. This lack of sleep most teenagers endure is due to various causes: overload of homework, exorbitant extracurricular activities, or simply the fact that most teens are unable to fall asleep until later at night.
When children make the transition from primary school to middle school or high school, it affects them a lot when the changing of their own sleep cycle affects the way they actually learn. Dr. Judith Owens, who is the director of the Sleep Medicine Clinic at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., says "adolescents are programmed to fall asleep later,” (2013). She wants to change school start times to later because "we are asking [teens] to be awake and alert at the time in their 24-hour clock when their alertness level is at its very lowest,” (2013). She also says that most teens can’t usually fall asleep until 11 p.m. Sleep expert Amy Wolfson of College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., says that children should try to get eight and a half to nine and a half hours of sleep a night. Waking up at six a.m. leads to bad sleep patterns creating sleep deprivation.
High school students should have a nap time during school hours. Teens live a fast life, making them more likely than adults to become sleep deprived and stay in that habit for years. Not all teens get 8-10 hours of sleep, which is recommended by the National Sleep Foundation. People often believe that making up sleep is possible when it is not. Ensuring a good night's sleep is also very difficult for teenagers due to the use of technology, and stress about the future.
Teens need about 9 to 10 hours of sleep each night to function best. Most teens do not get enough sleep. One study found that 85% students didn’t get enough sleep on school nights.
"Should Schools Start Later in the Day?" Current Events, a Weekly Reader publication 30 Apr. 1999: 3. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 17 Mar. 2012.