The Importance Of Sleep In Schools

Studies have shown that 40% of American high schools start before 8 AM, with more than 20% of middle schools starting at 7:45 AM or earlier.(Herrington) Due to this early start, most teens only get 6-7 hours of sleep when they really need 8-10 hours to be healthy. How can schools expect teens to thrive in school when they 're not getting nearly enough sleep to function completely properly? Sleep is so important to your health; yet many teens seem to be very much deprived of it. It is CRITICAL to brain development, memory function, and cognitive skills, esp. among children and teenagers.(Caimey) Across America, nearly 70% of teens are not getting enough shuteye (O’Neill). Though not all of the blame can be put on school; there are certainly …show more content…
Inadequate amounts of sleep among teens can contribute to health issues such as: obesity, diabetes, mood changes, and behavior problems (Park). Students who don’t get enough sleep have increased risk of anxiety and depressive symptoms (Park). Poor sleep patterns can increase the reliance on substances such as caffeine, tobacco, and alcohol (Park). These are just some of the horrendous effects sleep loss has on people 's’ health. I have experienced this, as many times, I have waken up at 6:30 AM, feeling tired and not motivated in the least bit to go to school. Once I am at school, I normally feel like I could use more sleep. School can be so draining that by the end of the day I feel really tired. This really sucks because sometimes I have to stay after school to get help and then once I get home I normally have a bunch of homework to …show more content…
Delaying classes by just a half-hour can have dramatic effects on improve kids’ health and academic performances. Less rest is linked to lower grades in school and vice versa; more rest is linked to being more alert in class better grades.Finley Edwards, a visiting assistant professor of economics at Colby College, has documented an improvement in test scores in North Carolina schools that moved the start of the day from 7:30 to 8:30. Some Maine high schools have tried this and received exceptional results. However, others are leery of this because of the effect the new schedule would have on after school jobs and sports. Those are valid concerns, but shouldn 't trump optimum classroom learning. (Teenage Brain Chem) I believe that if students were able to obtain more sleep, they would be able to work harder and to achieve better grades in school, which would be wonderful for