Teenagers are considered one of the most sleep-deprived people in the world. Research has shown that they neither get enough sleep nor quality sleep, which is detrimental in many ways. A possible fix to this would be having institutions, such as schools, push back their start times, allowing their students to get a few extra moments of rest. However, the problem is that very few institutions have taken the findings of numerous studies over the years seriously, and most students still do not get enough quality sleep.
The notion of having early start times is attributed to teens previously having to get up early to farm and come home before dark, but that is no longer the case. Instead, now studies are showing how teenagers should sleep in longer because it is necessary for their mental and physical well-being. Teenagers need approximately nine hours of sleep per night, but the amount they actually get is on average closer to seven. Additionally, as teens go through puberty, their circadian clock shifts up by a few hours, making it harder for them to fall asleep early and wake up early. The clock shifts back during their adult years, but until then teenagers will be prone to staying up late at night and sleeping in the next morning as a result. Another problem with waking teens up early is that not only do they lose the quantity of sleep, but also quality. Experts have found that teens are missing out on crucial restorative and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Restorative sleep is essential for the body to repair itself and to continue biological processes. REM sleep, which occurs right before a person naturally wakes up, is responsible for solidifying information in the brain. Both are necessary for the mental and physical health of teenagers, but having to wake up early causes teenagers to miss out on hours of sleep that cannot be made up.
Besides losing sleep in terms of quantity and quality, there are many other risks that increase for teens due to their inadequate sleep. Usage of drugs and tobacco increases as the amount of sleep decreases. The lack of sleep also impacts the mental state of teens as they reported feeling more hopeless. Studies have also shown that the risk of suicide increases in school-age kids and that not getting enough sleep is a contributing factor. Moving school start times by even 30 minutes lessens a lot of the risks that teens face when they don’t get enough sleep. Getting more sleep also has its benefits, as teachers have noted that well-rested students tend to engage in class more.
While it is definitely the fault of school systems for not taking any action on these findings, it must also be taken into consideration the many factors that they would have to change in order to accommodate for this later start time policy. Changes to the busing schedule must be made, teachers’ and administrators’ schedules would have to be altered, after-school programs would have to be pushed back, and so much more. As hard as it is to make these very much needed changes, school boards have to start somewhere, and any action is better than the current inaction.
A student’s quality of education is very much dependent on their quality of sleep, and so both school board administrators and the government must listen to the needs of their students. Schools have to start acknowledging the science behind why teenagers need more sleep and implement the required changes because it makes a big difference in a student’s life, especially with regard to mental health and academic performance.
