Sleep more, learn later |
For Spring 2014 opinion articles: click here.
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By Catherine Lynch, Webpage Editor
Between school, homework, sports, jobs, and other school activities, students lead extremely busy lives. One aspect of teenagers’ lives that can sometimes get pushed to the back burner is sleep. Teens may push their bedtime back in order to complete schoolwork, work, or other activities. The benefits of school starting later are many for students and teachers alike.
Most school start times now are around 7:20-7:30am causing students to get up around 6:15 or even earlier. Because of biological processes, most teenagers cannot physically fall asleep before 11 pm. This happens due to hormones in the body and many stress factors including all of their daily activities.
The National Sleep Foundation says that teens are supposed to get nine and a quarter hours of sleep on average to be their best, but most of teens do not. Studies have shown that teens average around seven hours of sleep per night. Therefore, students are not performing at their optimal levels of health, awareness, or school studies. Lack of sleep also results in less brain development. If school start times were moved to 8:00 am, students would be able to fall asleep according to their body clocks, and wake up about nine hours later reaching the right needed for optimal performance.
One concern that districts have is enough time for after school activities such as sports teams or jobs. Because students are student-athletes, education comes before after school activities. However, districts that have switched such as Wilton, Connecticut and Nathan Hale, Washington have seen increased participation in sports and better performance because students are better rested. To adjust to these new schedules, both of these districts have made after school activities later in the day.
As of September 2014, seventy districts nationwide have switched to later school start times. More sleep means better rested students. Better rested students mean less stress, improved brain development, and happier people. With all of the positive results and effects, more schools should consider adjusting their start time for the benefit of the students and the district.
Between school, homework, sports, jobs, and other school activities, students lead extremely busy lives. One aspect of teenagers’ lives that can sometimes get pushed to the back burner is sleep. Teens may push their bedtime back in order to complete schoolwork, work, or other activities. The benefits of school starting later are many for students and teachers alike.
Most school start times now are around 7:20-7:30am causing students to get up around 6:15 or even earlier. Because of biological processes, most teenagers cannot physically fall asleep before 11 pm. This happens due to hormones in the body and many stress factors including all of their daily activities.
The National Sleep Foundation says that teens are supposed to get nine and a quarter hours of sleep on average to be their best, but most of teens do not. Studies have shown that teens average around seven hours of sleep per night. Therefore, students are not performing at their optimal levels of health, awareness, or school studies. Lack of sleep also results in less brain development. If school start times were moved to 8:00 am, students would be able to fall asleep according to their body clocks, and wake up about nine hours later reaching the right needed for optimal performance.
One concern that districts have is enough time for after school activities such as sports teams or jobs. Because students are student-athletes, education comes before after school activities. However, districts that have switched such as Wilton, Connecticut and Nathan Hale, Washington have seen increased participation in sports and better performance because students are better rested. To adjust to these new schedules, both of these districts have made after school activities later in the day.
As of September 2014, seventy districts nationwide have switched to later school start times. More sleep means better rested students. Better rested students mean less stress, improved brain development, and happier people. With all of the positive results and effects, more schools should consider adjusting their start time for the benefit of the students and the district.