With only 15% of schools starting after 8:30, students are forced to wake up early in the morning. Some teens must wake up at 5:00 or 6:00 a.m. to get to school on time. Changes to the school schedule can cause problems but also have advantages. Pushing back the start time for schools can show improvement in students health and daily lives. Early school hours prevent many students from getting the doctor’s requirement of 8.5 to 9.35 hours of sleep per night. Because the typical sleep cycle for teens begins around 11 p.m., this causes many teens to not get the required hours of sleep per night. Teen driving in the early morning show an increase in drowsy driving. With earlier start times, teens are left with more hours of unsupervised time.
