Wake Up Call: School Starting Times Causes Teens to Forget What 2+2 Equals

  Hey you, yeah you. Are you reading this? Or are you too tired from being awake since six that you don't even know what is going on. The cause of this lacking ability to pay attention can be blamed by school beginning to early. Most schools start around 7 AM, forcing students to wake up at 6, or even earlier. If you’re up before the sun is raised, that is when you know there is a problem.

           

Sleep is fuel for the brain. It provides the brain the energy it needs to complete life’s tasks. Teenagers have busy lives that require them to be alert. The average teen has 6 hours of school, then sports, then dinner, and then homework. This all has to be completed in a total of 24 hours. Most students will finish their homework and studying at around 11 PM. Eight to ten hours of sleep each night are the average numbers a teen should have to be healthy. Fulfilling this requirement is nearly impossible when students have to be awake at 6 and ready to repeat it all over again the next day. Kristen Knutson, an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago, said, "Our study does confirm that on school days adolescents are obtaining less sleep then they are thought to need, and the factor with the biggest impact is school start times." School starting at least an hour later would enable teens to get an extra hour of sleep each morning, leading to an additional 5 hours of sleep at the end of the week. Students would then be healthier and less sleep deprived.

Sleep deprivation is a serious issue. Lack of sleep causes humans to be less alert. Simple tasks will suddenly become the hardest things in the world. Most students drive themselves to school. Being overtired will cause the driver to be less observant and more prone to accidents. The blog Sleepedia found that 37% of teenagers doze off while driving. In addition, every year there are at least 40,000 car accidents as a result of sleep deprivation.

           

If students are able to get to school alive, they are lucky if they can stay awake. The National Sleep Foundation found that 28% of students fall asleep during school and that only 20% get at least nine hours of sleep each night. Even if students make it to class on time, it does not mean they will learn well. An article off a website created by Scott Palamar states, “Most U.S. high schools schedule classes during the 7 o’clock hour, while melatonin still pressures adolescents to sleep. The vast majority of teenagers attending early starting schools meet the morning bell in a sleep-deprived state.” Students will not learn as well if they are not alert. They may be listening, but the information mind as well travel in their ear and right out the other one. Sleep deprivation for adolescents can also cause their grades to drop because of not being awake to fully understand what is being taught. Lastly, depression can become more common. Students may begin to get down of themselves for their grades lacking. Fatigue can also cause teens to feel just overall lousy. They will start to lose their motivation and give up.
                           

Getting the right amount of sleep is healthy because the brain needs energy to fulfill the demanding tasks of life. School beginning at least an hour later will give students the extra sleep they need to refresh themselves after a long day. Grades will go up and teens will feel better about themselves. Even with all these statistics and studies about how sleep affects learning, students are still forced to be awake and ready to go at the crack of dawn. Maybe in my life next life changes will be made and I’ll actually be able to function like a normal human being.   

Sources: 

Carskadon, Mary. "Introduction: The Timing of Education." The Impact of School Start Times on Adolescent Health and Academic Performance. WordPress, 1990. Web. 21 Oct. 2012. <http://schoolstarttime.org/>. 

Knutson, Kristen. "The Impact of School Start Times on Adolescent Health and Academic Performance." Notable Quotes. WordPress, n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2012. <http://schoolstarttime.org/2011/06/26/notable-quotes/>.

National Sleep Foundation. "High School Main Page." Statistics on High School Students and Teens. Stage of Life, 2009. Web. 21 Oct. 2012. <http://www.stageoflife.com/StageHighSchool/OtherResources/Statistics_on_High_School_Students_and_Teenagers.aspx>.

How Much Sleep do Children Need? Digital image. Parenting Bedtime Battles: How Much Sleep Do Kids Need a Night? Family Sponge, 2012. Web. 21 Oct. 2012. <http://familysponge.com/health/kids-health/pareting-bedtime-battles-how-much-sleep-do-kids-need/>.

"Sleep Deprivation Statistics A€“ Health Epidemic." My Blog. Sleepedia, 2012. Web. 21 Oct. 2012. <http://sleepedia.com/sleep-deprivation-statistics/>.

Fig. 1. Digital image. Road Accidents Caused by Drivers Falling Asleep. Elsevier Science, 1999. Web. 21 Oct. 2012. <http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001457599000238>.