Why Kids Should Start Later In School

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Pages: 3

Did you know, over the past decade, a consensus formed among researchers that later school times would benefit student sleep patterns, which would enable them to walk into class more alert and more prepared for learning?

Prevention of all the effects of sleep loss is VERY important to implement in the new generation of teens. “The majority of teenagers do not get the recommended 8-10 hours of sleep. Inadequate sleep can lead to countless negative health consequences that impact students' ability to learn.” (Walker, 2022) was a statement made by neaToday’s researchers. School should start later in the day to allow kids to walk into school with an operating and fully functioning mind.

The American Psychological Association states that more than half of teens aged 15-17 sleep for 7 hours or less per school night. Teens are notorious sleep owls with messed up sleep schedules. More sleep has proven to improve things/symptoms like memory and learning, attention span, emotional regulation etc.. Also later start times would prove beneficial for teachers as they would have time to get their kids off to school, without worrying about their own schedule. This shows that getting more sleep would be beneficial to not only the students, but teachers that feel like their kids are always distracted and uncaring.
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However, teens have an adjusted circadian rhythm which means our bodies produce melatonin later than adult bodies which results in later times of falling asleep. Students without enough sleep are more likely to suffer from symptoms of depression, perform poorly in school, and not engage in daily physical activity. Later school starting times would give teenagers time to let their melatonin levels kick in and still get a good night's sleep for the following day of