Why High School Should Start Later Research Paper

Staying up until 1am to finish math homework and studying for that huge history test next class is pretty routine for some teens. Juggling school, sports, a social life, and other extracurriculars is tough, and teens are already in a critical period in their life. It is the time period in which teens grow and learn the most, and sets them up for a bright future. Staying healthy both mentally and physically is imperative, and sleep is probably the most important. Schools starting as early as 7am limits a teen’s potential. If schools were to start later, the benefits would be endless. Schools starting later improves both physical and mental health of students, keeps the individual and those around them safer, and improves students performance in school and sports.

Research has shown that teenagers experience a change in the internal sleep clock so that waking up early and going to sleep early are difficult. Some people believe that high school classes should begin later in the day to better accommodate students’ natural sleep clocks. Waking up early can be a real struggle for teenagers. Most teens naturally sleep in until ten thirty or eleven on weekends. I do believe high school classes should start later because teens could sleep more naturally, it would give teenagers more time to do things in the mornings, and more sleep equals better

Reasons supporting a later start time is that scientists say that starting school before 8:00 a.m. is not good for the health of the students. Research from countries around the world support that teenagers are healthier overall if they get their required amount of sleep. Sleep is essential for teens to grow and learn properly. Therefore students who get enough sleep do better in school.

Over the years, many high school students complain about not getting enough sleep. This topic is controversial because of the possible downfalls that could occur after postponing school by an hour. While there are a few concerns with moving to later start times, hundreds of high schools across the country are starting class later and students have still managed to attend club meetings and finish homework by a reasonable hour. According to the article, "New research suggests that later high school starts have widespread benefits". With this in mind, I believe that high schools should start later due to the benefits gained by high school students.

Starting school at a later time is something that I believe a lot of students can agree on. One reason why everyone would really appreciate school starting after 8:30 a.m. is because of the simple fact that we wouldn’t be so tired and unaware of our surroundings. Any high school student can agree that when they arrive to first period they aren’t completely awake, and present in class. Everyone always has something to do after school, whether it's community work, homework, sports or anything else, the point is we all have things to do after school and we don’t always have enough time to get our full 8 hours of sleep which we all desperately need. Studies show that adolescents’ melatonin levels peak from 11pm. to 7a.m., thus only giving them 7 hours of sleep, at the very most.

Another reason to start school later is breakfast. Most teens don't eat breakfast in the morning because of time. We should always eat breakfast but because it's so early, it's hard to have time for breakfast. Breakfast gives us energy. If we are not getting the breakfast we need, we won't have the energy we need. Whenever there is a late start at school I find that I have time to eat breakfast. If school started at 8:50, we could wake up at around 7:30 and have time to eat

Studies have shown that kids perform better in school and in other aspects of their lives when they get more sleep. Students stress over school because they have to push out things they want to do in order to get the grade that is a letter which symbolizes their success and importance to society. It is hard to accomplish this when students have restrictions and limits to when they have to sleep and wake up. Teens don’t perform as well as they should when they are sleepy. Therefore, schools should start later so students perform better, are less depressed, and so it is less dangerous to get to school in the morning.

The average amount of sleep that a teenager should get every night is around 9-9 ½, and kids are getting at max 7-7 ½ . Moving back the start times of school would allow students to get the sleep that they need. They would have higher test

While some people believe starting school before 9am makes it easier on parents schedules, studies have proved that starting later would improve teenager health and performance. That’s because when kids and teenagers obtain the sleep they need, they are able to accomplish more satisfactory tasks and carry a better and healthier life. While some of these schedules aren't ideal, they all give students a chance for healthier sleep than the typical American middle or high school.

High school is a big part of a teenager’s life, mostly because it is almost every day. Lots of research has shown that students are not getting the amount of sleep they should be getting, and more could improve their life in and out of school. In most cases, teens have too much going on at night to go to bed at a decent time, so they should have more time in the morning to sleep. The starting time for school should be later in the morning because students may get more sleep, they will have a positive academic improvement, and also the overall health of the student will increase.

High school and Middle schools should start later in the day. This has been an idea that has floated around for a good amount of time. Teens between the ages of 14-18 every weekday wake up around 6:00 in the morning to go to school for 7:30am or 8:00am. Throughout the day the kids are found to be tired and just want to sleep. The following reasons support this statement; Teachers will find that there students are tired and less alert than they should be. These are signs of sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation might not seem like a very bad problem but it really is and can cause some long lasting problems.

8 - 14 2014). There could also be problems aligning bus schedules, also students getting another ride to school could change. Starting school later in the day benefits the physical and mental health, and a student's overall well-being. Significant risks come with lack of sleep, including lower academics and motor-vehicle accidents among teens as well as an overall lower quality of life. The need to start school later is a national public health

Most teens today aren't getting the required 8-10 hours of sleep because of schools starting the day before 8 a.m. Teens brains don’t wake up until 8 a.m. which is becoming detrimental to them learning new material. Their brains won’t remember most of what the teachers are teaching them because they’re not awake. According to the National Sleep Foundation, “Teens average fewer than 7 hours per school night by the end of high school, and most report feeling tired during the day.” If the school start times were to be later, teens would be getting a better night’s rest and the required amount of sleep for them to function throughout the school day.

The school system was carefully created to give children the best opportunity possible to learn and grow. Although schools generally do an amazing job at helping all students succeed at their own pace, there is one major flaw in the school system. Between elementary, middle, and high school, high school should always be the last to start, starting no earlier than 8:30. Have you ever woken up much earlier than normal and felt dead all day? That is how many teenagers in high school feel on a daily basis.Because they go to bed so late and wake up early, students are often left anticipating sleep all day. This has an attainable solution. High school students should have a later start time to prevent sleep deprivation and all the mental, physical, and emotional issues that come with it.

Although a later start time for school could potentially push the day back and make students stay longer at the end of the day, it would increase the amount of sleep significantly. The recommended hours of sleep for teenagers is eight and half to nine and a half hours of sleep for optimal health and alertness. It is found that only 15% of teeneagers are actually meeting those recomendations nightly (“Teens and Sleep”). A study recently done by Oxford and Harvard University students suggests that the best time for 16-18 year olds to wake up is not until around 10 to 11 a.m. (“5 Pros and Cons”). These facts show that we are setting our youth at a disadvantage from the moment they awake. A later start time could simply make the many problems that come along with drowsiness and grogginess in the morning disappear.