Let Tired Teens Sleep: Article Analysis

Directions: Read the article titled, “To Keep Teenagers Alert, Schools Let Them Sleep In” by Jan Hoffman. Answer the following questions AS THOROUGHLY AS POSSIBLE!

It is a well known fact that teenagers in general need more sleep. According to the National Sleep Foundation: “[teenage sleep] is as important as the air you breathe, the water you drink and the food you eat. It can even help you to eat better and manage stress of being a teen.” When schools start as early as 7 o’clock, it puts students health at risk. Adolescents already have a natural shift in their internal body clock, or circadian rhythm when it comes to sleep. Puberty allows this to happen, causing a “sleep phase delay” of about two hours. When teens can't fall asleep until late and school starts so early, they aren't getting nearly enough sleep. Lack of such, according to CDC, makes the individual

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.

Some people may ask, “Why don’t teenagers just go to bed earlier, instead of having school later?” This is a common concern for parents and teachers as well. The fact is, adolescents have different sleeping patterns than adults do. Throughout the day, teenagers are most tired during the morning, and most alert at night (Cerve 4). “The body’s internal clock shifts after puberty, making it

As a result of a changing body and mind, adolescent sleep cycles have different needs than those of adults or younger children. As a matter of fact, Biologically, sleep patterns shift toward later times for both sleeping and waking during adolescence -- meaning it is natural to not be able to fall asleep before 11:00 pm (“Teens”). In addition to biological change in sleep patterns, teenagers also tend to have eccentric sleep cycles. Obtaining less than healthy hours of sleep during the school week and then catching up on their sleep on the weekends. Most teenagers during the school week, do not get the suggested amount of sleep. In fact, according to a recent poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, 80% of teenagers do not get the suggested amount of sleep of 9 hours on school nights (“School Start”). With changing bodies and minds, along with an increased amount of schoolwork and extracurricular activities, teenagers need more sleep than children of a younger age. Experts believe that moving back the start time of school for high school students will improve grades, test scores, and the overall health and personality of many students.

This scholarly journal article deliberates the necessity of sleep and the phenomenon that adolescent children are suffering from a lack of sleep. The loss of sleep can negatively af-fect a teenager’s academic performance, driving capabilities, cognitive abilities and more. Bryant and Gomez provide recommendations for combating the sleep deficiency with teens, which includes their caffeine intake, establishing specific bedtimes, and the use of technology. The authors reference several other articles done specifically on the use of electronic devices and their effects on a person’s ability to sleep.

There may be some of you out there who simply believe, “Why don’t they just go to sleep earlier?” The truth is, that the biological clock in adolescents can change on average two hours from middle school into high school, which means that they are supposed to go to sleep at 11 and wake up at around 8 (“Teens Need”). This time frame is not taken into account in high school start times, which suggest adolescents going to sleep at 9 and waking up at 6. The time suggested by the schools goes against a high schooler 's biological clock, leaving most teens going to sleep around 11 and waking up at an average time of 5:30; a mere 6 ½ hours of sleep is achieved with this time frame, 3 hours less than what has been recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (Maloney-Dunn). The American Academy of Pediatrics suggest a high school start time of 8:30 or later

In the article it mentions how "...the American Academy of Pediatrics added its potent voice to the push for later start times, calling it a public health issue". The average teen is supposed to get eight and half hours of sleep, but bewteen waking up at 6 am, going to school for 7 hours, then having anywhere between 2-3 hours of after school activites, and then numerous hours of homeowrk, a teen can only expect to get 5 hours of sleep, which leads to teens being sleep-deprived. Similariy, the text says, "Insufficient sleep is an epidemic: The average teen is chronically sleep-deprived and suffering from some of the same symptoms as adults with serious sleep disorders, according to the group’s report". From this alone, teens are tired in the morning which leads to tardiness, lack of attention, and less able to

In the article Our kids need more sleep by Valerie Erde. She see teenagers at the library studying until 11:00 p.m. she's glad to see them working that late then realize that they have to get up around 6:00 a.m. to get ready for school and have a couple minutes to spare. She is arguing to change school starting time so that they can have more sleep to perform better in class, stay awake, less depressions , and less accident between the ages of 16-18. Scientific studies show less than 9.25 hours for a teen shows a insufficient sleep results in proper reaction time,vigilance,learning and alertness (Erde) . so students perform less well in school than other school with a later starting hour.

“...teens average fewer than 7 hours per school night by the end of high school, and most report feeling tired during the day” (Wolfson, Carskadon). What the text is explaining is that teens aren’t getting enough sleep, although we don’t show it once we get home because we can take a nap for the extra hour but then the next day it is the same problem. If you take a look at both high schools and middle schools grades, at least most of them are failing first and second unless the students have physical education first they will be passing it because of how hard it is to fail the

Most teenagers think that it is cool staying up late with friends, but the lack of sleep is slowly killing you with the toxins of society. A recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention related lack of sleep to health risks such as being overweight,

Many high school students wander into school each day shuffling around and trying not to pass out in their classes. In order to cut back on sleep-deprived teens, we must follow through with this solution; it would give students enough time to go to bed early and wake up at an appropriate time. According to Sleep Foundation, teenagers require eight to ten hours of sleep and are not getting that with the current schedule. Many teenagers have discombobulated biological clocks and need the opportunity to adjust their sleeping schedule as they see fit. If this plan were to be put into practice, more positive attitudes would emerge from schools all over America due to their fulfilled need of sleep, which would give teachers, students, principals, counselors, and even parents a more productive start to each day. On the other hand, I realize that the opposing side of this intelligent solution may proclaim that some teenagers would abuse this and go to bed even later, but people must also realize that a large amount of teenagers who wish to succeed academically would gladly not abuse this and respect this privilege; although there would be some teenagers to mistreat this, it is up to the maturity level of the student, and they choose whether they want to succeed or

Young people who do not get enough sleep night after night carry a significant risk of developing health issues. Teens are among those least likely to get enough sleep; while they need an average 9 1/4 hours of sleep per night for optimal performance, health and brain development. In the article, Later School Start Times From: The National Sleep Foundation 2013 it explains that young people who do not get enough sleep night after night carry a significant risk of drowsy driving; emotional and behavioral problems such as irritability, depression, poor impulse control and violence; health complaints; tobacco and alcohol use; impaired cognitive function

When school starts so early, students just aren’t getting enough sleep. Doctors recommend teens get between 8.5 and 9.5 hours of sleep each night and with all the after-school activities, homework and early school start times, they are not getting that. Less than a third of high school students get 8 hours of sleep on school nights. As children get older, it’s harder for them to fall asleep at night, causing them to go to bed late and when they have to get up early to go to school, they are not getting nearly enough sleep. Studies shows children that do not get enough sleep are more likely to be overweight, not engage in physical activity, suffer from symptoms of depression, perform poorly in school and

With nearly ⅔ of the adolescent population getting under seven hours of sleep a night (at least eight point five is needed) sleep deprivation in teens is becoming a major problem. And early school start times don’t help. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, 43% of U.S. high school students have a starting time of 8:00 or earlier. This forces kids to wake up earlier; depriving them of their essential sleep hours. As a result, there are multiple potentially harmful effects.