“It is eight o’clock in the morning, and I am just awakening. Today we have a late start at my high school and I am bright eyed and ready to start school, due to the eight and a half hours of sleep I got last night,” said one student. Another student of the same age told her story, however, student number twos story started earlier. “I feel bone-weary exhausted. I had to wake up at 5:30 am in order to take a shower before school. I dozed off to sleep during my first two classes, and I missed half of the notes I had to write down. I could blame this on the sleep I received last night; or should I say the lack of sleep – only six hours.” It is not practical for school to start at 7:20 in the morning, it is just too early for a teenage mind to function properly. In order for students to perform better in academic activities, school should begin later. Starting the day at least one hour later will help improve the students attendance and their participation and attitude. It is a fact that teenagers need between eight and nine hours of sleep (“How Much Sleep Do I Need?” 1), however, it is also a fact that only fifteen percent of teenagers and preteens get the actual amount of sleep that they need (“Write Work” 3). As a teenager myself, I can concur that the average tenth and eleventh grade student falls asleep at around midnight, due to their extracurricular activities and homework. Falling asleep at midnight and having to wake up at 5:30 only gives the teen about five and a half hours of the eight hours of sleep that they need (“How Much Sleep Do I Need? 5). Losing two hours of sleep may not seem like that big of a deal, but two hours every night begins to add up quickly, taking its toll on the young mind. “ According to a National Sleep Foundation Sleep in America poll, more than 25% of high school students fall asleep in class, and experts have tied lost sleep to poorer grades (“How Much Sleep Do I Need?” 6).” “It is not unusual to see students sleep in class, especially in the morning, say both high school students and their teachers. Even when awake, they are so “out of it” that paying attention and learning suffer (“Lets Give High Schoolers The Sleep They Need” qtd. Moorcraft).” According to sleep researcher - Mary Carskdon - “... drowsiness wasn't only in the early morning. Teens had a kind of sleep trough in the mid-afternoon and then perked up at night, even though they hadn't had a nap (From Zzzz’s to A’s 3).” this drowsiness was caused by the 2 hours of sleep missing from the night before. If high school started even just an hour later the cranky teenagers would have less of an attitude and more of an alertness (4)
Most elementary schools begin at 9 o’clock am, while the middle school and high schools start at around 7:30. The reason for this is because people think that younger children need more sleep, and as you grow up you do not need as much; this statement is completely incorrect. Everyone has a biological clock or circadian rhythms - an internal clock that sometimes acts against the sleep-wake cycle by keeping us alert when we should be feeling tired. The inner clock of younger children do not show the same delays as teenagers. Nothing is opposing their need to sleep in the evening. Until the age of 10, many children wake up fresh and energetic to start the day (5). On the other hand, the biological clock of pre-teens shifts forward, creating a “forbidden” zone for sleep around 9 or 10 pm. It is propping them up just as they should be feeling sleepy (From Zzzz’s to A’s 6). This shift makes it harder for teens to fall asleep if they wanted to until after 10 o’clock. Later on in life, after the teenage years, the biological clock appears to shift back, making it hard for adults to keep their eyes open just when their teens are bouncing around the most (From Zzzz’s to A’s 7). Experts say that during the teen years, the body's circadian rhythm is temporarily reset, telling a person to fall asleep later and wake up later. Just before puberty, that internal clock helped teens stay alert at night when they should have been falling asleep. The researchers called this a "phase-delay." (How Much Sleep Do I Need? 5). This change might be due to the fact that the brain hormone melatonin is produced later at night for teens than it is for kids and adults. This can make it harder for teens to fall asleep early and wake up early (How Much Sleep Do I Need? 6). These changes also coincide with a busy and stressful time in life. For most high schoolers the mandatory pressure that comes along with being a teenager can become too intense for their young body. This immense urgency and pressure to do well in school is a lot stronger than when they were younger and can make students worry and force them into losing sleep over the stress (How Much Sleep Do I Need? 8).
Other than affecting academics, this lack of sleep can affect a person on a much larger scale. Since students are often driving to school, to sporting events, and home from late-night parties, this sleep debt holds huge risks. Many high school students know of someone, often a high-achieving kid, who on the drive back from a sporting event or school simply fell asleep at the wheel (From Zzzz’s to A’s 9). More than half of teens surveyed reported that they have driven a car while drowsy over the past year and 15% said they drove drowsy at least once a week. The National Highway Safety Traffic Administration estimates that more than 100,000 accidents, 40,000 injuries, and 1,500 people are killed in the U.S. every year in crashes caused by drivers who are simply tired. Young people under the age of 25 are far more likely to be involved in drowsy driving crashes (How Much Sleep Do I Need? 10).
Lack of sleep also is linked to emotional troubles, such as feelings of sadness and depression. Sleep helps keep us physically healthy, too, by slowing the body's systems to re-energize us for everyday activities (How Much Sleep Do I Need? 10). Younger kids tend to wake up early because they are still excited about life and can not wait to start the day and see all of their friends at school. High schoolers do not enjoy waking up early because they no longer feel the thrill of life. The reason for this is the sadness and lack of enthusiasm most teens feel is due to their lack of sleep, like what was said above. (11)
Of course, the thought of changing something that has been done for a very long time comes with it’s possible negatives. Administrators believe that changing that start time of school would be a large problem with the bus companies. Also, for the younger children there could be potential issues with after school daycare and car pooling. Coaches also fear that a later start will also create a later end time so it may be harder to schedule practices (Lets Give High Schoolers The Sleep They Need 4). However, all of these problems will only take a short amount of time to fix, compared to the forever lasting impact of loss of sleep, that may never be repaired (5).
The evidence is overwhelming: the poor grades and harsh attitudes of students due to the lack of sleep they get from the early morning start of school is outweighing the negatives of having a later start to school. We, as teenagers - human beings with needs - can no longer support damage we are doing to our own growing bodies by not giving ourselves the sleep that we deserve.