Does the school day start too early?
I'm your average high school sophomore; I hang out with my friends, have loads of anxiety about homework and upcoming tests, and wake up too early. High school starts at 8:20, elementary school at 8:00, and middle school at 8:55. Most students agree that school starts too early and that it's critical for us to sleep in. I think that's true. In fact most studies agree that schools start too early. Let's discuss the essential question: Does the school day start too early?
The CDC says that if middle school and high school students are allowed to wake up later in the day, they'll be less likely to be absent from class, more awake in class, and more alert behind the wheel. Any student can get behind a little extra sleep. The AASM says that students should be getting between 8-10 hours of sleep a night, but almost 70% of high school students get 7 or less hours of sleep. Who can we blame for this? A segment of the brain during puberty ends up cranking out melatonin which can mess up our sleep schedules. One school a few years ago ended up shifting it's start time back an hour and believe it or not, the crash rates dropped 16.5%.
Should all schools make the huge switch and call school off until an hour later? It's a low possibility. To reschedule the bus, after school activities, and sports programs can be a lot for a school district to handle. Not to mention that the shift would solve all of kids sleep problems. Avoiding electronics during the night is another reason that kids aren't getting the essential hours of sleep. Keeping a regular sleep schedule by going to sleep and waking up at the same time every day can prevent the lack of energy as well.
As much as every student would give up most things to have school start an hour later, but I don't think any time soon your school district is going to make the changes. You can start by looking at your phone 1 hour before you go to bed and wait until the next morning or lay out what you need for the next day out ahead of time so you won't be as rushed. While I'm perfectly happy with waiting a long torturous week for 2 days of sleeping in, what do you think? Does the school day start too early?
The CDC says that if middle school and high school students are allowed to wake up later in the day, they'll be less likely to be absent from class, more awake in class, and more alert behind the wheel. Any student can get behind a little extra sleep. The AASM says that students should be getting between 8-10 hours of sleep a night, but almost 70% of high school students get 7 or less hours of sleep. Who can we blame for this? A segment of the brain during puberty ends up cranking out melatonin which can mess up our sleep schedules. One school a few years ago ended up shifting it's start time back an hour and believe it or not, the crash rates dropped 16.5%.
Should all schools make the huge switch and call school off until an hour later? It's a low possibility. To reschedule the bus, after school activities, and sports programs can be a lot for a school district to handle. Not to mention that the shift would solve all of kids sleep problems. Avoiding electronics during the night is another reason that kids aren't getting the essential hours of sleep. Keeping a regular sleep schedule by going to sleep and waking up at the same time every day can prevent the lack of energy as well.
As much as every student would give up most things to have school start an hour later, but I don't think any time soon your school district is going to make the changes. You can start by looking at your phone 1 hour before you go to bed and wait until the next morning or lay out what you need for the next day out ahead of time so you won't be as rushed. While I'm perfectly happy with waiting a long torturous week for 2 days of sleeping in, what do you think? Does the school day start too early?
Signed,
Midwestern Redhead
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