Why Do Our Kids Need More Sleep Essay

In “Our Kids need more sleep”, by Valerie Erde, it is explained that children need more sleep to do well in school. It has a couple of studies that say that children with more sleep do better in school, and are more alert in general. I completely agree with the author. I feel that if middle to high school students were allowed more time to sleep, it would improve most aspects of their life during school days. I know for sure that on the weekends, when I sleep in, I am in an all around better mood, and I am alert and ready for the day. It has been shown in studies that an extension to students sleeping schedule reduced the amount of car accidents student 16-18 were involved in. “a change in start time from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. in Fayette County, Kentucky yielded a dramatic decrease in car accident rates for 16-18 year olds,” (Erde). This shows that a later wake up time has helped students 16-18 be more alert when driving. This means that if every school started at 8:30 a.m. students would have less risk going to school in the morning. Wouldn’t that alertness carry into what they do in school also. I think that it would regardless of what the student wants to …show more content…
I realize that a later school schedules would mean that most workplaces would also have to adjust times to allow their employees enough time to get their kids to school, but isn’t it worth it. Isn’t giving the children a better shot at a good future more important than what time you start at work? I also get that some would say that the students should just go to bed earlier, then they would get the sleep they need. I know from personal experience that sleeping early just doesn’t work that well. If I manage to get to sleep before 10:00 p.m. I am up and down all night. From what I hear from my fellow students, it's the same all