Delayed Bell: Benefits of Starting School One Hour Later Essay

For years and years there has been a lot of discussion about when a reasonable time for students to wake up and go to school should be. There are two main sides. One side believes that school should start later, and the other side believes that the school start times should not be changed. The average teenagers’ alarm for school goes off as early as 6:00 A.M. A little less than half of U.S. public schools start before 8:00 A.M. Studies show that over half of students are not getting 8 hours of sleep or more. That leads to the 33% of teenagers who are found asleep in the classroom (Owens).

Adolescents today face a widespread chronic health problem: sleep deprivation. Research shows that getting enough sleep is a biological necessity. Sleep is essential for a person’s health and wellbeing, according to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF). Teens are among those least likely to get enough sleep; while they need on average 9 1/4 hours of sleep per night for optimal performance and health and brain development, teens average fewer than 7 hours per school night, and most report feeling tired during the day (Nationwide Childrens, 2003). The root of the problem is early school start times.

According to Alexandra Sifferlin, the author of the article “When School and Sleep Don’t Mix”, “Data suggests that anything under 8.5 to 9 hours of sleep on school days can contribute to health problems like obesity, mood changes and diabetes”(Sifferlin). The reason that not sleeping leads to obesity is because a hormone is released that makes you more hungry when you don’t get enough sleep. According to to the article "How Sleep Loss Leads to Significant Weight Gain”, “Studies have shown that when people don’t get enough sleep have increased levels of a hunger hormone called ghrelin and decreased levels of the satiety/fullness hormone called leptin, which could lead to overeating and weight gain.”(Hellmich) They did studies and the results showed that the participants gained weight over time. It can also lead to other things as well, according to Sifferlin, “Other data has linked poor sleep to a higher reliance on substances like caffeine, tobacco and alcohol. Not getting enough sleep can also take a toll on academic performance”(Sifferlin). Not getting enough sleep at night can lead to those things, possibly because teens think it could help them feel less sleepy. The National Sleep Foundation says that “More than half of teens surveyed reported that they have driven a car while drowsy over the past year and 15% said they drove drowsy at least once a week. Young people under the age of 25 are far

Students are not all awake in the morning. In recent studies students brains start to normally function around 10am. According to Kyla Washtrom she states “Once these school districts change, they don't want to go back.” This shows that when the districts keep their hours and starting time they will not change, but they do not understand the consequences of the times. Students are not awake for their two classes so they will not be able to focus and pass. If school started later students would be more focused and more awake for the two periods. Most students are extremely tired in the morning because

Lack of sleep contributes to many problems for teenage students. Students who start their school day at 7:30 or 8:00 am are not as well rested as those who start their school day at 9 am. Students suffering from sleep deprivation have higher absences from school, more tardiness, lower grades, and they are less happy. They are also at risk for a lot of other problems. Lack of sleep can affect learning ability and it can even affect graduation rates. Sleep deprived students risk their safety and the safety of others when they get into a car to drive because sleep deprived students are also more likely to be involved in early morning car accidents. Schools might say students need to go to bed earlier, but the studies show that doesn’t help as much as one would think. The reason? Earlier bedtime doesn’t help because a teens’ natural sleep cycle starts later in the evening and their natural time to wake up is later in the morning than when 80% of the schools in the United States start their school day. An

According to the National Sleep Foundation, “Over time, sleep deprivation leads to serious consequences for academic achievement, social behavior, and the health and safety of our nation's youth," the Congresswoman added.” This shows that there could be long term effects on students if they have to get up early without enough sleep to go to school. Furthermore, there are effects on health that happen when students are in school. According to Terra Snider, a Phd, the effects that a later school day had on students was there was less car crashes, less drug and alcohol abuse, and better overall well-beings of students. Another source of information came from The Atlantic. In this text, Emily Richmond said, “Both the CDC and the pediatricians’ group cited significant risks that come with lack of sleep, including higher rates of obesity and depression and motor-vehicle accidents among teens as well as an overall lower quality of life.” Some may claim that these effects only happen if there is a significant amount of sleep loss. This is true, however, there are many teen who don't get enough sleep and experience these symptoms, otherwise the doctors would not reach out to everyone, only the ones who need more sleep. In conclusion, there are many health issues that come from a loss of

In some schools today students are probably falling asleep or have bad attendance because they did not get enough sleep last night to get to school on time. There are a lot of students right now who are not paying attention in class or some are late to school, because they did not get enough sleep. There are a lot of reasons why school should start at a later time. School should start at a later time because it could help with a student physical and mental health, it could help improve grades and attendance, and it could help students from falling asleep in class.

If students get more sleeping time mean they will show up at school. Central Connecticut State University researchers state, “The average attendance rate rose from 90 percent to 94 percent (“School Schedules”).” When schools start later during the day, teenagers get more sleep. When they wake up, they do not have to rush quickly to use the restroom and get ready before the bus leaves them. Some women wake up and they are feeling beautiful that day, so they want to put on some makeup.

Students in high school struggle with sleep so seriously that medical professionals call it an epidemic, with 87% of students getting less than the recommended amount of sleep (Richter). It’s difficult to balance sports and extracurriculars with school and homework, and, come junior and senior year, college applications and jobs as well. All these activities in students’ lives leave them little time for a good night’s sleep. Unfortunately for them, sleep is actually crucial, as it has not only been shown to improve GPA, but also help students with memorizing information (Hershner). Not to mention that most high schools start classes early in the morning, with 29.9% of schools starting before 7:30 am, according to a 2012 survey (CDC). According

Teenagers have adjusted circadian rhythms that relate to later in the night and later in the morning, (Sleep Foundation) with times averaging from eleven P.M. to eight A.M. (Owens) This is combined with the fact that average school start times in the United States average at seven fifty-nine A.M. (NCES) There is also more things to consider before that first bell: Teens must actually get to school, have breakfast, get dressed,

The average school day starts between 7:30 to 8:30. Students wake up way earlier than this time to be able to prepare for school. Then the normal school day lasts at least 7 hours. As a result of schools starting too early, students are cognitively affected, struggle with prior commitments, and consequently, a student’s education begins to falter along with the school's reputation.

    Most teenagers have to get up at 5 or 6 am to get to school on time or without missing the bus. Whenever a teen arrives at school they seem more tired than expected, even if they get to bed early. With waking up so early and starting classes at 7:00 or later, teens seem less awake  and not that focused in class. CBS News interviewed some doctors and lots agree with the situation. "I see a lot of teenagers who are tired and have problems in school because they have to get up so early," said Deray,

Students, for as long as I can remember, have always wanted to either not go to school or go to school at a later time. One of these is obviously not possible but what about the other? Could it be so difficult to arrange for classes to start later and if school districts did manage to do this, what would be the benefits? Many things contribute to different perspectives on school starting later such as sleeping schedules, the perceived benefits and peers influences. I believe that students do need more rest and time but school starting later isn’t going to solve this problem.

Almost every day high school students are waking up around six o’clock in the morning to get ready for school, some even earlier than that. Nearly every morning students are waking up without adequate sleep. If sleep is one of the most essential needs of the body in order to grow and develop, shouldn’t we be more aware of how much it affects students everyday performance? The ways in which students are affected by sleep-deprivation is precisely why school needs to start later.

later than when they were younger, according to Dr. Mary Caraskadon, director of chronobiology and sleep research at Bradlet Hospital in Rhode Island (Lamberg). In contrast to this law of nature, U-32 students have to go to school about an hour earlier than elementary school students in the same school district. Because of her research, Dr. Caraskadon agrees with Dr. Mahowald’s opinions: “The practice of ringing the opening bell earlier in high school than