Benefits on starting school at a later time
Nydia Kuo
Staff Writer
Almost having a heart attack from the annoying alarm you set is not the best way to wake up, especially when it’s early in the morning. Unfortunately, teenagers can’t do anything about waking up early; after all, education awaits.
Oftentimes the first thing people tend to think of when they hear students say, “I didn’t get much sleep last night” is related to school. Lack of sleep can be caused by procrastination such as last-minute studying for tests. In addition, there are still students who have trouble balancing their busy schedules and heavy workload from school while still maintaining some break time here and there.
Lack of sleep not only hinders one academically, but also mentally, when their health and daily life get affected. According to the website Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, high schoolers who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to be overweight, not engage in daily physical activity, suffer from symptoms of depression, develop bad habits, and—last but not least—perform poorly in school. The recommended amount of sleep for teens is eight to ten hours, but for some, getting seven hours of sleep on some days throughout the school week is a blessing already. Having six different classes with different homework to do takes time. With time slipping past our fingertips, we sacrifice the time we use to sleep for more study time.
There are probably students that do not have the worry of not getting enough sleep, but for people who have trouble finishing their work on time, they either have to sleep early and wake up when the sky is still dark to finish it, or they don’t rest until they are done with their work. By sleeping late and waking up early, students may be too exhausted to enjoy school when they just want some time to rest their tired minds. neaToday’s website mentions that the results of a school starting later was that students became more engaged in class, had fewer absences and tardiness, and their final grades increased by about 4.5 percent. Not only do students get these benefits when they get more time to sleep, but they also significantly reduce their chances of having any of the health issues mentioned before.
The majority of high schoolers sleep at around eleven o’clock, and to match the recommended sleeping hours, Time magazine recommends students should wake up at 7:30 to feel more awake and energized. With American starting at eight in the morning and traffic problems, not many students can afford to sleep that long. Time magazine also mentions that lack of sleep affects students’ studies by being a type of distraction. Students who can’t keep their eyes from closing end up falling asleep in class and miss out on their lessons, which causes them to be unprepared for their tests. In high school, teachers teach the curriculum at a much faster pace compared to junior high school. If students miss any part of the lesson, they will not be able to understand other things that are taught to them. This cycle will only continue and worsen until they get the sleep they need.
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