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Sleep among teens
Effect of lack of sleep on teenagers academic research
Pros of starting school later
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For some high school students, sleep is not considered a necessity – but rather, a luxury. Sports, extra-curricular activities, and Fine Arts programs play an important role in students’ lives and require a significant amount of commitment and dedication. Social life aside, some students have taken the additional endeavors of acquiring jobs, participating in volunteer activities, and taking extra Advanced Placement classes. With too many tasks to fulfill in a twenty-four hour day, high school students are forced to substitute for the most essential condition of all: sleep.
Getting out of bed is becoming a struggle for most teens due to the early demands of high school. Currently, most high schools start around 7:30 a.m., which is earlier than the start times of middle schools and elementary schools. As one source acknowledges, teenagers need sleep, specifically about 8 ½ -- 9 ¼ hours of it. However, most teens today sleep for only about seven, and as days turn to weeks, that number can really add up (Carpenter). A possible solution to this problem would be to have high school begin at 8:30 in the morning, and in addition to that, decrease passing period. High school students are already at school for the majority of the day, but most are not fully benefiting from the educational program because of the lack of attentiveness that is required to solve math problems, stay focused, talk with friends, deal with stress and retain information.
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...
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... Beginning high school an hour later might possibly make things a little easier. It is evident that it would improve health, if the students take advantage of the extra hour. But it could also improve grades, abilities and motivation. Beginning school later makes the difficult job of waking up in the morning effortless and enjoyable.
Works Cited
Carpenter, Siri. "Sleep Deprivation May Be Undermining Teen Health." American Psychological Association, Oct. 2001. Web. 20 Nov. 2011.
Kalish, Nancy. "The Early Bird Gets the Bad Grade" The New York Times Company, 14 Jan. 2008. Web. 20 Nov. 2011.
"Later School Start Times" National Sleep Foundation. Web. 20 Nov. 2011.
Strauss, Valerie. "Schools Waking Up to Teens' Unique Sleep Needs." Washington Post Company, 10 Jan. 2006. Web. 20 Nov. 2011.
"Teens and Sleep." National Sleep Foundation. Web. 20 Nov. 2011.
Allowing students to sleep more by starting school later would benefit them in a multitude of ways and keep them from feeling enervated. According to the online article, A Wake-Up Call on High-School Starting Times, “...troubled kids often get caught up in a distress cycle in which too little sleep causes them to experience anxiety and inner turmoil, which, in turn, cause them to lose more sleep. In the worst
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...
This leaves students with less than the recommended 9 hours of sleep. Students that have to stay up that late for homework will be tired in the morning, even if their school starts later. Many people argue that starting schools later will let students get more sleep and align with the students sleep cycles. But they do not factor in that students will just stay up later at night because they know that they do not have to get up as early in the morning. This will just leave students with less sleep than before.
Wolfson, Amy R., et al. "Middle School Start Times: The Importance of a Good Night's Sleep for
Researchers have proven that teenager’s brains don’t start working until ten in the morning, also that an average teenager is supposed to get eight to nine hours of sleep each night. These are a few reasons that school starting times are negatively affecting students learning abilities at school. I believe that schools should have later starting times. An average teenager is supposed to get eight to nine hours of sleep each night, however in reality most teens only get about seven hours. A lack of sleep is causing students to do worse on homework and tests. Our school starts at seven twenty-five, if it started two hours later, then students would be getting the exact amount of sleep that they need each night. A study shows that the brain doesn’t
Starting school later also has a lot of health and academical benefits. Even if the school day starts 30 minutes later, It has proven to show great benefits for teenagers. In the pass Up For Debate: Should School Start Later It says “As a result, students were showing up to school alert and ready to learn and are focused and engaged in lessons.” Some people believe that starting earlier is better because a later start results in a later end to the day. But changing it to a later time will still give kids enough time to sleep and get their work
It is reported that 2/3 of students get less than seven hours of sleep, which is more than an hour under the minimal suggested sleep time (Mckibben, Sarah G. "Wake Up Calls (Fast Facts)." Start School Later. School Start Later, 2012. Web. 28 Mar. 2015). Without the proper sleep, students will be falling asleep in class. One third of students fall asleep during school from lack of concentrated sleep. “The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that middle and high schools start class no earlier than 8:30 a.m. to allow students to get healthy sleep” (Mckibben, Sarah G. "Wake Up Calls (Fast Facts)." Start School Later. School Start Later, 2012. Web. 28 Mar. 2015). With only fifteen percent of all public high schools starting after 8:30 a.m. that means that 85 percent of teens are not getting the standard amount of healthy sleep. Studies show that sleep deprived students are more likely to be involved in violent crimes than those who get a good night’s sleep. By simply pushing school start times back a half an hour or so, it would greatly benefit both the students and the society surrounding the individuals because of reduced crime
School Should Begin Later in the Day Many teenage high school students are tired during the school day. distracting them from their studies. That is just one of the many good reasons. that the start time of school should be later in the day. Some people may say that the brain is not fully functional until 9:30 is just a matter of opinion.
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.
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.
High School students are decreasing in standardized test scores and attendance due to lack of sleep. It has been proven by research in miscellaneous High Schools around the US that with just one hour of extra sleep student's test score increased along with their attendance records. The extra hour will also give you more time in the morning to finish homework and other things that you did not have time for the night before. However, others believe that the extra time added onto the end of the school day will interfer with afterschool activities such as sports practices and games. Schools should change to later start within the next year because it will help improve the lives of students along with their academics as well.
A normal school day begins between 7:00 and 8:00 (Canapari). A typical wake time for students is 6 A.M. (Canapari). An average teen goes to bed between 10 and 11 (Canapari). This means that an average teen gets on average seven to eight hours of sleep when they need on average 9 ¼ hours of sleep as stated in the above paragraph. One man, Matt Gaetz stated, “The evidence is pretty one sided that high school students don’t have the same cognitive function that they have at eight or nine in the morning.” (Beaton). There are many pros to beginning the school day later. One pro is the reduced risk of teen crashes. The later start time would allow teens to be more alert while driving to school (Pro...
Plus the University of Minnesota said that grades, test scores and overall performance is better when schools started later. If There is multiple facts and reasons to have later start times help students get through the school day. BY helping students get better grades, test scores, and overall better. And teens these days aren't getting the sleep they need to wake up early and go to school. SO that is why school should have later start times.
Don't you hate waking up early for school in the morning? Most high school students wake up before the sun rises just to become ready for school. Teenage brains do not begin to function that early considering many are tired from staying up late the previous night. The National Sleep Foundation reported that most teens do not retain enough shuteye, one study found that only 15% reported sleeping eight 1/2 hours on school nights. That fact was extremely true for me when I attended high school. I barely was able to wake up, get dressed, and be in school on time since I was so tired. In my opinion school days should start later, precisely in between 9- 10 o'clock. If the school day started later attendance would improve, students will be more prepared, and student's attitudes and grades may improve.
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,...