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. With such early start times, teens often come to school with much less sleep than what is recommended. Although teenagers should be getting 8 to 10 hours of sleep a night, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have found that: “...almost 70% of high-school students report sleeping 7 hours or less on a regular basis” (Macmillan). Sleep loss has many side effects such as lower school performance, depressive symptoms, cardiovascular problems, obesity, and athletic …show more content…
According to a study by the Brown University in 1998, “Students showed up for morning classes seriously sleep-deprived and that the 7:20 a.m. start time required them to be awake during hours that ran contrary to their internal clocks” (Richmond). A student who is on the verge of falling asleep will suffer lower academic performance, and have a difficult time attempting to pay attention. Although it seems that starting schools later will do nothing but benefit students, some parents question what will happen to their child’s after school activities. It is always important to remember that a student’s health and development, is more important than an after school activity. Extracurriculars can have adjusted times, a student’s development and health
How many times has this happened to you; it’s six thirty on a Tuesday morning, your alarm has already gone off twice, your still laying in bed and your bus comes in twenty minutes. This is an everyday occurrence at my house. It is a proven statistic that the average high school student does not get enough sleep. While some experts like Dr. Lee Yanku say “It is not the schools starting time that is the problem as to why students don’t get enough sleep, it is because of facebook, myspace and cell phones” The truth behind it is that we can’t budget sports, homework and extracurricular activities into one day and still get nine hours of sleep. This is hurting student’s academic averages and needs to change. Changing the school time will help boost academic averages among students, and isn’t th...
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.
When it comes to middle and high schools, they tend to start early, not generally knowing why the kids are tired. Only 15% of schools in America start at 8:30 or later, and it’s affecting schools across the country. Early school start times plague the students with low grades, sleep deprivation, and lower social skills. A solution to all of those factors would be to make the school start time later than 8:00. Middle school start times should be later because grades will be better, more time to wake up, and better social skills.
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.
Getting up to go to school really early in the morning is more upsetting than having to actually attend school. Almost all high school students would agree that high schools should start later in the morning. Even though high school students should be responsible
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...
According to The National Sleep Foundation in “Teens and Sleep,” teenagers need an average of eight to ten hours of sleep every night. How much a person rests at night can determine if the following day they will be able to learn, solve issues, and remember things. Teenagers can also develop acne and become more aggressive. Most teenagers in high school are trying to keep up with school work, get a part-time job, look at colleges, and participate in extracurricular activities, so getting the right amount of sleep is important for them. Teenagers do not get enough sleep, and it is an issue that needs to be addressed. Teens are becoming sleep deprived because they are trying to keep up with school work, but they are facing car accidents, health risks, and caffeine overdoses.
A lot of people wonder whether or not school should begin later in the day for high school students. Letting teenagers get more sleep is a solid reason as to why school should start later, however there are many more important facts that suggest students should continue to have an early start on school. High school students should not start school later in the day because of complications concerning students’ schedules and transportation methods.
An average student needs 8 ½ to 10 hours of sleep a night. If they have to get up for school at 6 they should be in bed by at least 9:30. A lot of parents think that starting school later is a great idea but there are many downfalls with starting later. Although getting up early can affect a teens natural sleep pattern, schools shouldn't start later in the school day. The amount of sleep they get, the activities or sports kids go after school, if they babysit their younger siblings after school, all this is affected by starting school later.
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.
Do you enjoy going to school at 7:30 AM in the morning? I am sure most of the students do not like to get up early in the morning to go to school. The alarm goes off and many tired students still hit the snooze button. Making school start later will allow students to get more sleep.
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.
When you think of a successful, adaptable, bright teen who pays attention in class and isn’t constantly distracted or sleeping, what do you think is the leading cause? Although many argue that sleeping and waking up early are signs of a well-conducted student, studies show that starting school later helps teens get closer to this point. Starting school later in the morning would be a great boost for students around the world. For starters, starting school later will help students get the right amount of sleep so they can pay attention and be orderly in class. Teens often have the habit of going to sleep late and then sleeping in whenever they can.
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.
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.