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Sleep among teens
Empirical review on sleep duration and academic performance
Impact of lack of sleep on the academic performance of high school students
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Introduction Sleep studies have been conducted since as early as 1913. However, the impact of school start times on student academics is often overlooked by most schools. In reality, start times can significantly affect academic performance by disrupting adolescents' normal sleep cycle, leading to a lack of sleep that impairs learning, and hindering academic performance. These theories have been tested through sleep studies, and most of them have been found to be true. Sleep Cycle Changes When children transition from primary school to middle or high school, it can significantly affect their learning due to changes in their sleep cycle. According to Dr. Judith Owens, director of the Sleep Medicine Clinic at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., "adolescents are programmed to fall asleep later" (2013). She advocates for later school start times 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). Additionally, most teens cannot fall asleep until 11 p.m. Sleep expert Amy Wolfson of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., recommends that children aim for eight and a half to nine and a half hours of sleep per night. Waking up at 6 a.m. can disrupt sleep patterns and lead to sleep deprivation. A new poll conducted by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Harvard School of Public Health has revealed that 50 percent of high school students report starting school at 8 a.m. or earlier.... ... middle of paper ... ...Education World. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin314.shtml Aubrey, A. (2013, December 2). Parents Of Sleep-Deprived Teens Push For Later School Start Times. NPR. Retrieved March 4, 2014, from http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/12/02/247314202/parents-of-sleep-deprived-teens-push-for-later-school-start-times Carpenter, S. (n.d.). Sleep deprivation may be undermining teen health. http://www.apa.org. Retrieved March 6, 2014, from http://www.apa.org/monitor/oct01/sleepteen.aspx Trudeau, M. (2007, January 18). High Schools Starting Later to Help Sleepy Teens. NPR. Retrieved March 6, 2014, from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6896471
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.
“BEEP, BEEP, BEEP!” The teenage student slams on the snooze button and struggles to get out of bed for the early school day. Teens on average need 9 ¼ hours of sleep (Backgrounder: Later School Start Times). Teens currently average fewer than 7 hours of sleep (Backgrounder: Later School Start Times). Hectic schedules, poor sleep habits, homework, and family obligations are the problem (Backgrounder: Later School Start Times). Schools are considering starting their school days later in the morning. For example, one Minneapolis school considered pushing back their start time from 7:15 to 8:30. Another Seattle school considers pushing back the school day start reported Jean Enersen. Would this benefit the students or harm the students? Is this for the better or for the worse? These are questions many superintendents and school board members are asking themselves. They all want to do what is best for their students, so the topic takes a lot of thinking, planning, and conversations. School starting later can be a very controversial issue.
All children need sleep and want sleep during the weekdays and that is very difficult. It has been noticed that older students and younger students, such as third graders and eleventh graders, sleep patterns are very different. In many places it is the same way that middle schools and high school start earlier than elementary schools. The problem is that adolescents stay up at least two and a half hours later than younger children do (Bergin 2). Older kids stay up for various reasons and younger children can fall asleep easier and earlier than high school students. Kids from elementary school all the way to high school tend to get up at relatively the same time but as stated before older kids go to sleep later than younger children. Ages 3-17 children tend to get up at the same time which is 7 a.m. (Bergin 1). The sleep patterns differ between high school students and elementary students but they are also very different between students and teachers.
If school started later, kids wouldn’t be so tired in the morning. School starting later is very beneficial because kids wouldn’t sleep so much in class. Students need a total of 8-10 hours of sleep on school days to be awake in the morning. 33% of teens report falling asleep in class every day. 73% of high school students get fewer than 8 hours of sleep on school nights, with 46% of middle school students getting barely 7 hours of sleep.
In Frank Bruni's article “Today’s Exhausted Superkids” he explains the importance of sleep for high school students. Mr. Bruni’s piece focused on the book “Overloaded and Under prepared” by Denise Pope, Maureen Brown and Sarah Miles. According to Mr. Bruni, the majority of American teenagers suffer from sleep deprivation. Mr. Bruni stressed the importance of sleep for teenagers yet he failed to provide detailed effects of sleep deprivation for teenagers.
Jane E. Brody, a well-respected columnist for The New York Times’s Health section, wrote an interesting article, Hard Lesson in Sleep for Teenagers, in 2014 on the importance of sleep for teenagers, as well as the risks of deprivation of sleep. In the article Brody states, that a poll done in 2006, demonstrated that an average adolescent sleeps less than 20 percent of what the recommended average of eight to nine hours of sleep. Brody then goes on to explain that, while interviewing Dr. Judith A Owens, adolescents who drive while sleep deprived are just as dangerous as adolescents who drive drunk. Brody then explains the advantages to not starting school too early. One advantage she discussed, from a study done by Kyla Wahlstorm, supports the idea of starting school later because of the increase in students’ grade point averages in
“These experts have long said that expecting teens to show up to class before 8 a.m. is not good for their health or their report cards” (Associated Press). Schools are starting to start school later for many reasons but the important ones are it’s not good for teen health and grades it affects their grades a lot. Students from various schools are saying that students are falling asleep in class and are missing out on important information they need to do there homework.
Officials have been searching for a way to alleviate the problem of teen sleep deprivation for decades. In the 1990s State Legislatures and Congress passed acts on when schools should start. In an attempt to lessen sleep deprivation and crime, the Minnesota State Legislature passed a bill in 1997-98 prohibiting schools from starting before 8 a.m. (Pappas). Similarly, in 1998 the
Waking up for school in the morning is getting harder and harder for students enrolled in Nooksack Valley High School. Due to the early start time for our high school, most students don’t get the needed amount of sleep to power through the challenging day. I know from personal experience that if I don’t get at least eight hours of sleep, I will rarely give a hundred percent into my classes and often leads to getting behind. According to Sleep in Adolescents (13-18 Years) the average amount of sleep teenagers need is between 9 and 9.5 hours of sleep, however the average amount they get is around 7 hours.
Professionals say that adolescents should sleep 8.5 to 9.25 hours, but what would someone call teens staying up until their bodies say to go to sleep (which is natural), and then wake up a short 6 hours later to get ready for school? For the students that attend the 42.5% of schools that start before eight in the morning, and another 43% that start before 8:30, students call it their daily routine (Schools and Staffing Survey). The issue of whether or not schools start too early has been a serious debate for several years, and doesn’t seem like it is going to be resolved very easily. However, if schools were to start later in the day, students would learn better, retain more information,
The American Academy of pediatrics agrees by stating “Getting enough sleep is important for students' health, safety, and academic performance, early school start times, however, are preventing many adolescents from getting the sleep they need.” Sleep is important in many aspects in life but focusing on school, sleep is very important. School start times are preventing teenagers from getting necessary sleep. Judith Owens, director of sleep medicine at Boston's Children's Hospital and lead author of the pediatric academy report, using information from the CDC, says “Adolescents who do not get enough sleep are at higher risk for being overweight, depressed and using drugs.” It makes sense for kids needing to sleep to get into trouble and have problems. Many people using drugs or people with depression seem to be tired. The U.S. Department of Education claims that on school nights students should get 8.5 to 9.5 hours of sleep. The recommended amount of sleep is the required amount of sleep for full potential and activity. Students are more willing to learn and learn easier when they get enough sleep. Early school start times are not letting students get the required amount of
Fifty six percent of students report being tired throughout the school day, which can lead to missed information and confusion (Wysong). According to this statistic, over half the students in class are not going to achieve their maximum learning potential in school. In order to avoid this problem, a teenager's brain typically needs to sleep from 11:00 pm to 8:00 am (“High schools starting later to help sleepy teens”). However, most high schools require students to be in class as early as 7:15 or 7:30 am. As a result, many adolescents simply do not have the opportunity to get enough rest. Changing the traditional school time to start later in the day will benefit adolescent sleep cycles, promote learning, and prevent disease by regulating the body. Ideally,...
“Sleep deprivation is a growing public health issue affecting our nation’s adolescents, putting them at risk for metal, physical, and emotional distress and disorders” (Kobler, Par. 2). Sleep is essential for proper body development. Studies have shown that loss of sleep can lead to metabolic disorders, as well as improper growth function. Between the ages of 14 and 17, teenagers should achieve 8.5-9.5 hours of sleep to have excellent health and learning. “While implementing a delayed school start time can be emotional and potentially stressful issue for school districts, families, and members of the community, the health benefits for adolescents far outweigh any potential negative consequences,” said Dr.
In a study conducted by Gilbert and Weaver, the correlation between sleep deprivation, sleep quality and academic performance was examined (Gilbert and Weaver, 2010). The degree of knowledge regarding this particular subject has not been well studied because of the small sample sizes used. As a result, the study investigates the link between the sleep habits of college students and academic performance in larger samples.
“Lack of sleep should no longer be considered a traditional adolescent rite of passage because it can have serious consequences” (McCann, 2008).