Picture this: it's early in the morning, and you're struggling to pry open your heavy eyelids, all while desperately trying to absorb the material your teacher is presenting. Sounds familiar to me? Today, I invite you to explore a simple yet transformative idea, the idea that starting school later could be the key to unlocking students’ full potential. By aligning our school schedules with our natural sleep patterns, we can enhance our learning, prioritize our mental health, and thrive academically. Sleep deprivation negatively impacts learning and academic performance. According to the National Sleep Foundation, teenagers need 8-10 hours of sleep per night for ideal functioning, yet most students get far less due to early school start times. Lack of sleep affects our ability to concentrate, retain information, and problem-solve, interfering with their academic success. Studies have consistently shown a correlation between later school start times and improved academic performance, as students are better able to focus and engage in their studies. Moreover, addressing the issue of sleep deprivation may have great effects on students' mental health and overall well-being. …show more content…
Starting school later can relieve some of the pressure students feel, allowing them to start their day more relaxed and focused. By prioritizing mental health and well-being, schools can create a more supportive learning environment. To summarize, starting school later could really contribute to lowering the rates of mental health issues among
Why Schools Should Continue Starting at Eight 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. 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.
An advantage to starting school later would be that students would be less drowsy at school; thus, being forced to pay attention and -- in the long run -- improve grades. According to a poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, “28 percent of students [fall] asleep” during f...
One of the many arising problems of America’s students is they are becoming sleep deprived. The busy daily schedules of children and teens are not allowing them to get enough sleep. “Less sleep is unhealthy especially with the new research that as teenagers move through teenage years, they need increasing amounts of sleep. Nine hours per night is the necessary amount to avoid behaviors associated with sleep deprivation” (Final Report Summary, 2001). Among other things, sleep deprivation is causing students to sleep during class instead of being awake and aware. When the students are sleeping in class, they are not retaining information being taught to them. Researchers have now proven that the majority of adolescents retain more information later in the day. Contrary to this information, America’s school systems are programmed to begin early in the day, which according to the sleep rhythms of most teenagers, they should still be sleeping.
Another reason that causes the negative relationship between sleep deprivation and academic performance is the impact of high-stress level that is caused by sleep deprivation. As mentioned earlier, sleep deprivation could decrease a student’s critical thinking and problem-solving skills. However, it can also make the students feel more stressful. According to the survey conducted in Ball State campus, there are 15 students that often do their homework before they go to bed. 10 students play video games, computer games, and mobile games before they go to sleep. 8 students use their electronic devices to do social activities. 5 students watch movies and television series and 2 students read books before they go to bed. This information proves
It’s seven thirty in the morning, the time that most American high schools begin class. Instead of being chipper and ready to learn, most teenagers, at this time of the morning, can barely remain awake. These puffy eyed pupils are by no means ready to learn. Sixty percent children under 18 reported being sleepy during the day, with another fifteen percent reporting that they had fallen asleep during the school day within the past year (National Sleep Foundation, Dozing). Though adolescents require a larger amount of sleep than younger children, they usually receive much less (Indiana University Center for Adolescent Studies). The amount of sleep a teenager receives affects him or her both physically and mentally. Sleep deprived teenagers are more likely to be irritable, be depressed, not perform up to their capabilities in school, and have a decreased ability to handle complex tasks (National Parent Information Network). Though teenage sleep deprivation is a big problem, some simple solutions such as rescheduling the school day to fit teenagers’ biological needs, setting consistent sleep schedules, and teaching children the importance of proper sleep habits can easily remedy this problem.
One reason why high school should start later than elementary schools is that with such early start times, the average high school students do not get enough sleep and are considered sleep deprived. According to a survey completed by The National Sleep Foundation, only 20% of high school students sleep the optimal 9 hours on school nights and 60% of children under the age of 18 have complained that they are tired throughout the school day to their parents (“School Start”). Sleep depravity is very common among high school students. With disadvantaged sleep patterns, adolescents have decreased mental sharpness and ability to pay attention during school hours. Therefore, grades and test scores are lower than their potential. In fact, “a recent survey by the National Sleep Foundation showed that only 20 percent of teenagers report getting the optimal 9 hours of sleep o...
Has it ever been hard to work late at night or to finish homework, an essay, or study for a test, and it’s exhausting the next day? Many states all over the U.S. are changing their school start times to a later time in the morning. Changing schools to a later time has been proven extremely beneficial, but there are also conflicts, such as work and parent’s schedules. Data has been proven by Children’s National “Rise and Shine” that high school should start later in the morning. It’s very hard for teenagers to go to school early in the morning.
It is no secret that schools start quite early in the morning. In fact, 75% of schools in the United States start at 8:30 a.m. or earlier. This may benefit children who participate in many after school activities, or help busy parents who drop their children off before going to work. However, early start times are the reason why 70% of high schoolers get less than 7 hours of sleep a night. Although early start times benefit busy parents and children who participate in extracurriculars, I believe schools should start later to cut down the amount of teen driving accidents, ensure students are getting enough sleep, and to boost academic performance.
Sleep is vital to a human’s well-being, it is just as important as the air they breathe, the water they drink and the food they eat. It can even help to manage the stress of being a teenager. Middle schoolers and high schoolers especially have very unnatural sleeping schedules because of the early start times and school and the amount of homework they are given (“Teens and Sleep”). Even though some teachers believe it will have no academic impact, high schools should start at a later time because scientists have proven it can lead to more participation, better grades and improved mental and physical health. With the stress and overwhelming priorities and obligations of being a teenager, sleep is vital to their well being.
Should students sleep in or leave school early? In 42 states, the average school start time is 8:03 am, which is almost 30 minutes earlier than the recommended start time by the CDC. South Dakota happens to be at 8:15, which is still too early. In Finland, the average school starts between 9 and 9:30 am. Finland is also considered the happiest country in the world.
Did you know that more than eighty-seven percent of high school students in the United States get far less than the recommended eight to ten hours of sleep? It is important for students all across the nation to perform their best. Individuals can’t succeed to the best of their ability, without the recommended hours of sleep their brain needs. Schools across the country are debating whether it would be more favorable to start their school earlier or later. In this essay, it talks about the importance of student sleep patterns and the impact of student academic performance.
It can be easy to think that you want a later start so you can sleep in more, but that is not the case. As we know, there are many kids who tend to stay up because they are busy doing homework and after-school activities. Some people think that if we change the school times to later, it can really affect a kid’s day. If they decide to change the school start times, there will be more stress on the parents, games and practices will be pushed back, the students will have to stay up later to do homework, and the cost of changing school times can be very expensive. To begin, parents might find it disagreeable if schools abruptly decide to change their start times.
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.
However, one of the most eminent factors contributing to students’ sleep deprivation is the early start time of school. If school were to start at 9:00 AM and end at 4:00 PM, students would show an improvement in both academics and health. “Biological sleep patterns shift toward later times for both sleeping and waking during
In this paragraph, I will elucidate on how sleep deprivation is associated with low academic performance, poor health, depression, mood disorders and drowsy driving in adolescents. I will substantiate my argument using statistics and studies, performed by researchers in my sources. I will also be defining cardinal terms such as circadian rhythms, sleep deprivation and neurocognitive functioning. Finally, I will present my thesis statement and introduce academic performance and health effects of sleep deprivation as the two