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Why High School Should Start Later

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Get up at 6:00, shower, get dressed, brush teeth, eat, catch the bus, go to school. No one wants to get up in the morning and most people would agree. The average start time for high schools in America is 8:03 which is before the recommended start time of 8:30. Why does school start early? The majority of U.S. middle and high schools start their school days too early, not letting young people get enough sleep for development and academic success.
One of the reasons schools should start later is that they are not starting at the recommended time set by the American Academy of Pediatrics of 8:30. A new study was published from the Centers of Disease Control (CDC) that states that less than one in five middle and high schools in America starts …show more content…
According to a study on almost 28,000 suburban high school students that was published earlier by the Journal of Youth and Adolescence, each hour of lost sleep is associated with a 38 percent increased risk of feeling sad or hopeless and a 58 percent increase in suicide attempts. This shows that only one hour of sleep loss can prevent very serious issues. If schools opened at the recommended time, it could help kids have a better attitude towards schools and it might even save lives. In addition, prescription sleep aids aren't approved for use among people under the age of 18, many teens are being prescribed medication like Ambien and Lunesta (Gregoire). Kids should not need sleep aids to go to bed just so they can get up in time for the school bus. There are risks to sleep aids also, there is a chance that the child that takes the drug could get hooked to it just like any other drug. If schools just opened later there would be so many benefits. Also, multiple studies have been published that prove that sleep loss can cause diabetes and obesity. This proves that early start times can affect children severely. Child obesity and diabetes are very serious issues, by opening schools later kids can prevent these issues …show more content…
A 2001 study showed that school administrators cited extracurricular activities as a major reason why high school campuses would rather start earlier in the day. Sports needing to practice outdoors have more daylight, and students walking home from these activities can take advantage of the extra daylight for their safety. Though this is a valid point, how are athletes supposed to perform well in their sporting events if the have to get up very early in the morning in order to be on time for school? Teenagers need about 10 hours of sleep but with the early school start times a teen only gets about 7-8 hours of sleep. “Athletes need to ensure they are getting enough sleep at night and should also consider how napping can contribute to their recovery.” The benefits of extra sleep for athletes have been established repeatedly. Increased sleep is associated with faster reaction times and peak athletic performance. “Athletes should aim for 10 hours of sleep per night. … Adolescent athletes may need more sleep” states Gordon Sleivert Vice President of Sport Performance.. As one can see, athletes need sleep in order to perform in sporting events, but they can’t get the sleep if school opens too early for students to be able to get up in time, get ready and make the

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