Shaylen Perry

Professor Morean

English Comp II

27 March 2020

Research Paper

Did you know that nearly three-quarters of high school students don’t get enough sleep?

“Insufficient sleep among children and adolescents is associated with an increased risk

for obesity, diabetes, injuries, poor mental health, mental health problems, attention and behavior

problems and poor academic performances” (Bangdor Daily News). Over 90% of high schools

start before 8:30 am. At this time, teens are just beginning to slow the release of melatonin. Due

to the increased risk for health issues, academic issues, behavioral issues and mental health

issues, school times should be evaluated and adjusted to enable teens to get longer amount times

of sleep to avoid these significant issues. High schools and middle schools should start no earlier

than 8:30 am to reduce the effects of not getting enough sleep.

The average amount of sleep per night that is recommended for teens is 8 to 10 hours.

According to one study, only 15% of high school students are getting 8.5 hours or more of sleep

on a school night (Sleep Foundation). The lack of sleep in developing teens is leading to all kinds

of problems. These problems include depression, obesity, poor academic performance and

several others. One of the best solutions to helping teens get more sleep, is to push back middle

school and high school start times to no later than 8:30 am. To help ensure that teens are

receiving the amount of sleep that is beneficial to avoid adverse issues.

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This visual shows the effects that not getting enough sleep can have on your body.

One

of the main issues, of the many, associated with lack of sleep is mental health problems. A

significant relationship between sleep deprivation and mental health problems has been studied

and documented over the years. Within young developing teens, the connection is even more

startling and can have short-term but also long-term effects on teens. “Sleep deprivation can

leave you feeling irritable and exhausted in the short-term, but it can also have serious long-term

health consequences as well. Lack of sleep is linked to a number of unfavorable health

consequences including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and depression” (Cherry). If teens aren’t

getting their recommended 8 to 10 hours of sleep, overtime, they will experience sleep

deprivation. This can then lead into mental health issues. These would include stress, depression,

ADHD and suicide.

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Not getting enough sleep can lead to stress. Many high school and middle school students

already have to deal with an enormous amount of stress. Their stress comes from not only school

and work but also homelife. Not getting enough sleep only makes dealing with stress much

harder. This can cause mood changes that include irritability and anger (Cherry). Teens already

have enough stress as is, when you add not getting enough sleep, the stress will just continue to

get worse and worse. Stress has been linked to physical ailments, impulsive behaviors and

irrational thoughts Parents and teachers, as well as counselors, look for ways to ease stress that

teenagers are dealing with. One way to deal with stress would be pushing back school start

times, therefore, teens will be able to get more sleep which will make dealing with stress easier.

Another mental health problem associated with lack of sleep is depression. Recent studies

have found that lack of sleep is now causing depression. If students were able to get more sleep

on average, we could help lower the amount of depression in teens. “Approximately 20 percent

of teens will experience depression before they reach adulthood” (I Need A Lighthouse). With

the number of teens not getting enough sleep and the percentage of teens that experience

depression, clearly a solution needs to be found to get teens sleeping more. Not only does lack of

sleep cause depression, but depression can lead to lack of sleep which leads to a never-ending

cycle. If teens can get more sleep, the number dealing with depression will be able to drastically

decrease.

Along with depression, teen suicide numbers are continuing to rise. Suicide is the second

leading cause of death in teens. One study found, “Sixty percent of teens ages 15 to 17 who

engaged in suicidal behavior had trouble sleeping at 12 to 14. Among those who only thought

about suicide, 47 percent had trouble sleeping in earlier years” (Zuckerman). This shows that

there is a direct connection between teen suicide and lack of sleep. A possible way to lower the
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number of teen suicides, would be to enable teens to sleep more. An easy solution is to push back

school an hour or so. Teens can then get closer to the average amount of sleep needed and

perhaps these statics will decrease for suicide.

The last mental health issue associated with a lack of sleep is ADHD. Studies have found

that ADHD affects 3-5% of all teens. “ADHD is associated with sleep problems, and research

also suggests that sleep disturbances may be a predictor or even a contributor to symptoms of the

condition. Studies have found that between 25% and 55% of children who have ADHD also

experience sleep disturbances” (Cherry). ADHD affect the ability for kids to focus. Students with

ADHD will have difficulty focusing in class, doing their work, taking test and so much more.

Not getting enough sleep will only make the symptoms of this disorder stronger and make school

and life more difficult for teens. If students with ADHD can get more sleep, they will be able to

focus more and in turn, perform academically better and have better control over their

impulsiveness.

Another effect of lack of sleep in teens, is poor academic performances. Many studies

have shown that pushing back the start time of school, led to an increase in test scores and

academic performance. For example, “A one-hour delay in start times relative to sunrise

increases math scores by 8 percent of a standard deviation for adolescents —the equivalent of

roughly three months of student learning” (Heissel and Norris). Giving students just one extra

hour of sleep had a huge impact on their test scores. An increase of 8 percent in math scores is

equivalent to 30% of what you learn in a school year. If students get more sleep at night, they

can focus better, be more alert and even engage in more conversations.

With academic performances come standardized testing. ACT and SAT tests are a huge

contributor for students’ futures since they are an indicator for future achievement in college and
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associated scores for scholarship attainment. A lack of sleep makes it difficult for students to

focus and thus, making test scores lower than students’ real ability. According to one study, “But

the grades of students who slept seven hours each night during the exam period were nearly 10

percent higher than those of students who got less sleep. Students who extended their sleep

duration from six to seven hours saw an average increase of 1.7 points (on a scale of 20) for each

exam” (Howard). Getting the recommended amount of sleep leads to higher test scores. This can

ultimately effect students’ futures. Many colleges rely majorly on test scores. Whether by

acceptance, scholarships or opportunities, test scores play a huge role in the future of students’

education. If teens can get more sleep, they can see improvement in their test scores, which will

ultimately drastically help their futures.

Teen sleep deprivation also can be connected to the amount of sunlight/ lack thereof in a

day. “In the morning, light on the outside of the eyelids suppresses production of the

hormone melatonin and stimulates brain processes to increase alertness, darkness at night

increases melatonin levels and feelings of tiredness. This process changes during adolescence: as

children move through puberty, nocturnal melatonin secretion is delayed several hours relative to

adults and younger children and sleep patterns become more owl-like, with later bedtimes and

wake times, even holding the level of darkness fixed” (Heissel and Norris). When high schools

start earlier than the sun rises, teens are forced to wake before their body has slowed the release

of melatonin. In puberty, the schedule of melatonin release delays. It is released later at night and

slows later in the morning. This proves that teens sleep schedules are aligned more with the

sunrise and sunset and less on a clock schedule. When school starts before sunrise, students are

forced to wake before the melatonin has stopped releasing. This makes it extremely hard for

student to focus and be alert.

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Melatonin release has a huge impact on the sleep schedule of teens. In fact, “Adolescents

tend to stay up later at night and sleep later in the morning. This change in sleep patterns is not

simply a matter of choice but is a result of biological changes in puberty, specifically, the timing

of melatonin secretion” (Downs). The release of melatonin is greatest about one hour before

normal wake time and about an hour before normal sleep time. When teens don’t get enough

sleep, there are forced to wake up before there melatonin secretion has slowed. This causes teens

to be sleepier and less alert in school. By pushing school back by just one hour, you can help

teens get into a normal wake, sleep schedule.

Another major consequence of sleep deprivation is injuries. “Outside of school, motor

vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among teenagers. More than a quarter of car

crashes attributed to sleepy drivers involve teens, even though they represent less than 7

percent of the U.S. population” (BDN). Lack of sleep in teens can lead to blurred vision,

decrease alertness and drowsiness behind the wheel. All of these can lead to teen car crashes.

Another major cause of injuries from early school start times, is that many students who go to

school before 8:30 am have to drive to school in the dark. This makes the risk for car crashes

even higher. Also, kids waiting for the bus in the dark is another unsafe consequence of going to

school before sunrise. Students are put in an unsafe position for cars driving by and being

unsupervised by a responsible adult.

Teens are looking to find their own solutions to sleep deprivation. They are beginning to

use unsafe products in an effort to keep themselves awake and alert. These include caffeine,

energy drinks, vaping devices, Adderall, alcohol and drugs. All of these products have a negative

effect on the mental and physical health of teens. The use of these products can lead to heart

problems, lung disease, addiction and juvenile delinquency, in severe cases. If teens were able to
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get more sleep each night, they would be less likely to abuse these stimulants and depressants.

By getting more sleep, teens can be protected from making life threatening decisions.

This visual shows the average amount of sleep each age group gets per night.

Another factor effected by early school start times is attendance. Students that oversleep

are tardy, which comes with discipline consequences along with missing class. Also, when

students have trouble waking up for early start times, they miss the bus or transportation which

leads to them not getting to school at all. If this happens continuously, overtime, students are will

get behind on schoolwork and learning. This can lead to low grades and more discipline. This

can ultimately make some students stop giving full effort and can lead to low self-esteem.

Some schools have already changed their school start times for high school and middle

school students. Two schools in Seattle just recently tested out the theory of sleep in teens. “The

schools changed their start times from 7:50 am to 8:45 am…teens at these school got 34 minutes

more sleep a night. Before the change, teens were getting six hours and 50 minutes of sleep a

night. After the change, they started getting seven hours and 24 minutes of sleep” (Strauss).

Although, the students still weren’t getting the average amount of sleep per night, they were a lot
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closer than they were before they changed the start times. The study also showed that teens were

able to improve their grades and were more likely to show up to class once they started later.

A study was done with 88 students in a Biology class within one of the schools. They

found that pushing school back just one hour had a direct impact on the academic achievements

of the students. The study found, “Students who took the biology class after the later start time

got final grades that were 4.5 percent higher than students who took the class when it started

earlier” (Neighmond). With one extra hour of sleep, teens were able to improve their grades by a

significant amount. This could be the difference between a B from an A. All it took was a little

extra sleep and students were able to be more alert, focused and engaged.

Although there are all these reasons to push back the start times for middle and high

school students, many people still argue that there are more negative effects than positive. For

example, people argue that parents work schedules would interfere, transportation changes,

extra-curricular activities would be affected, and cost would go up. All of these would play a role

if schools were pushed back just an hour. So, the question is, does the pros outweigh the cons?

One of the biggest concerns are parents work schedules. Many parents go into work early

in the day. If the start times of school is pushed back, parents will have to find care for their

children before school starts. Even more so a problem, most parents are able to drop their kids

off at school on their way to work, but if start times get pushed back they won’t be able to get to

work on time or will have to find transportation for their children. Although this is true, a

majority of students are able to either walk or take the bus. Most students are within a bussing

route so, parents won’t have to worry about them not being able to get to school.
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Another concern is that extra-curriculars will be affected. Many people argue that

pushing school start times back will make practices and activities later in the day, which will

lead to less time for homework and work. Some schools would even have to make practices

before school which would defeat the purpose of a later start time so teens can get more sleep.

Even though this could be the case, most kids will end up getting more sleep with a later start

time, which in the end will just help them more with their extra-curricular activities, because

teens will be more alert, engaged and motivated.

Changing school start times, also makes some people fear that the cost will go up. People

believe that changing bussing routes and schedules will lead to an increase in budget. However,

this is actually completely false. One source found that, “Starting school at 8:30 or later would

ultimately save $9 billion a year, a recent study by the Rand Corp. found” (BDN). Between the

increase in academic performance and reduction in car crashes, schools could end up saving a lot

more than they will be spending with a later start time.

Although there would be undeniable problems with pushing back the school start time, it

would be ignorant to look past the facts. The benefits for students from a later start time far

outweigh the disadvantages. Between the improved mental health, increased academic

performance, better participation and behavior and lower risk for obesity and injury. High

schools and middle schools should start no earlier than 8:30 am to reduce the effects of not

getting enough sleep.

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Works Cited

“American Psychology Association”, https://www.apa.org/pi/families/resources/school-start-

times.pdf, 26 May 2020.

“Articles.” 12on12off, 12on12off.weebly.com/articles.html.

Board, The BDN Editorial. “Starting School Later Is Better for Students and Society.” Bangor

Daily News, Bangor Daily News, 22 Oct. 2019,

bangordailynews.com/2019/10/22/opinion/editorials/starting-school-later-is-better-for-

students-and-society/.

Cherry, Kendra. “What Affect Does Sleep Have on Mental Health?” Verywell Mind, Verywell

Mind, 4 Feb. 2020, www.verywellmind.com/how-sleep-affects-mental-health-4783067.

Downs, Gail C. On My Own Time: The Conflict between Adolescent Sleep Needs and High

School Start Times. University of Maine College of Education & Human Development,

2001.

Doyne, Shannon. “The New York Times.” Should Your School Day Start Later?, 28 Oct. 2019.
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Heissel, Jennifer, and Samuel Norris. “Rise and Shine: How School Start Times Affect

Academic Performance.” Education Next, 12 Feb. 2020, www.educationnext.org/rise-

shine-how-school-start-times-affect-academic-performance/.

Howard, Jacqueline. “Sleep Study Looks At Link Between Shut-Eye, Exam Scores.” HuffPost,

HuffPost, 22 June 2014, www.huffpost.com/entry/sleep-hours-exam-

performance_n_5516643.

Morgan, Lee. “Pros and Cons of Later School Start Times.” 24 March 2020,

https://www.everettsd.org/cms/lib07/WA01920133/Centricity/Domain/2847/Later

%20School%20Times.pdf

Neighmond, Patti. “Sleepless No More In Seattle - Later School Start Time Pays Off For Teens.”

NPR, NPR, 12 Dec. 2018, www.npr.org/sections/health-

shots/2018/12/12/676118782/sleepless-no-more-in-seattle-later-school-start-time-pays-off-

for-teens.

Strauss, Ilana. “Here's What Happened When a Seattle High School Changed Its Start Time.”

TreeHugger, Treehugger, 2 Jan. 2019, www.treehugger.com/health/heres-what-happened-

when-seattle-high-schools-changed-their-start-times.html.

Troxel, Wendy, director. Why School Should Start Later For Teens. TED, Nov. 2016,

www.ted.com/talks/wendy_troxel_why_school_should_start_later_for_teens?language=en.
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Zuckerman, Laura. “Study Links Suicide and Lack of Sleep in Teens.” Reuters, Thomson

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idUSTRE70Q89P20110127.