School Days Should Start Later

Over the years, there have been many discussions in

education, with policymakers taking part, about
school start times and the importance of students
getting enough sleep. After looking at the results of
scientific studies, and researching the opinions of
several professionals, we can say with confidence:
Yes. There are many benefits of starting school
later; especially for middle school and high school
students.

It's also a proven fact that only fifteen percent of

teenagers get the sleep that they need. Can you
believe that more than twenty-five percent of
teenagers sleep less than seven hours a night? Are
you one of those teenagers? Well, part of the reason
why this is happening is because school starts so
early in the morning. If school hours were changed,
teenagers would be much healthier and feel better
about themselves.

Medical professionals, middle and high school

teachers, and other student advocates have long
argued that school start times are simply too early.
Around 80% of schools start before 8a.m., which means
many students windup sleep-deprived. There is a
natural biological tendency for teens to stay up late
and want to sleep in. Physicians recommend teens get
at least 8.5 to 9.5 hours of sleep per night. Those
who don't face a number of health risks that can have
serious consequences on their mental and physical
well-being.

Test scores and measurable results are such an

important component of education, we have to discuss
the impact on academic performance. Studies have
proven that when students get more sleep, their test
scores actually go up. Even better, the lowest
performing students made the biggest progress in
their learning development when they had adequate
sleep.
Aside from drowsy students who struggle to
concentrate in class, sleep deprivation is associated
with a host of harms to health and cognition. Among
other things, it can lead to decreased brain power,
increased risk of obesity, mood disorders such as
depression, suicidal thinking, and a higher
propensity for risk taking. Studies have also linked
students who don't get enough sleep to drug and
alcohol abuse, and higher suicide rates. You can see
how sleep can greatly alter your life path. These are
some reasons why school should start later.

During puberty, adolescents become sleepy later at

night and need to sleep later in the morning as a
result in shifts in biological rhythms. These
biological changes are often combined with poor sleep
habits (including irregular bedtimes and the presence
of electronics in the bedroom). During the school
week, school start times are the main reason students
wake up when they do. The combination of late
bedtimes and early school start times results in most
adolescents not getting enough sleep, which in turn
makes them lethargic and irritated.

Kids would be willing to go to sleep with more sleep

ahead of them. A lot of kids have many things to do
after school such as: get homework finished, study
for a test or quizzes, go to work, attend church
events, and play sports. If school days start later,
students would have more time to get their homework
done and more time to study as well as have the
chance to have a social life outside of school.

Schools that start before 8 a.m. are a major reason

students aren’t getting adequate sleep. Realistically
students rarely get that much sleep. When students
don’t get adequate sleep, it has the ability to
affect their attention span, memory, problem-solving
ability, and mood.
Many opponents, such as physical education teachers,
cite extracurricular activities as one of the reasons
why schools should start after 8:30. Sure, it may cut
in to some practice time. But that could wind up
saving students a lot of unnecessary pain and
suffering.

Research has even shown that students who get less

than 8 hours sleep at night were two-thirds likely to
get injured than those who do. What's more, 20%+ of
these injuries required a trip to the emergency room.
If students get more sleep they will not be as
drowsy, clumsy, and probably have better reflexes,
balances and hand eye coordination – all things that
can impact their performance in sport.

Overall, due to the concerns of health, education and

so on, it is clear that school days should start
later.