I’m sure all of us have experienced a long night of studying on a test or catching up on homework. School is extremely time-consuming, and between it and various extracurriculars, many students are extremely behind on sleep. Most students tend to brush off this problem and consider it normal to be tired during the week, but many experts think the issue is a lot more concerning than it seems.
Teens naturally tend to go to sleep later, as their circadian rhythms cause them to be night owls. The body doesn’t start producing sleep signals until later at night, such as 11-12. An ideal sleep schedule for the bodies of many teens would be to fall asleep around midnight and wake up at 8-9 in the morning.
However, the presence of school means that teens are not able to sleep in this long. Even if they have enough time to get to bed earlier, their bodies may not allow them to actually fall asleep, causing unavoidable sleep deprivation for many.
However, even the possibility of a full night’s sleep is rare. The average high school student is given 3.5 hours of homework a day. When this number is combined with the time already spent at school, extracurricular activities, family responsibilities, and general needs such as eating, there is very little time left in the day. Teens are often unable to get to sleep on time while completing everything they need to get done.
Even once all responsibilities are completed, bedtime may still be delayed. Personally, I often don’t want to just go straight to bed after I finish my schoolwork. Even if I know I should be catching up on sleep, I will often spend a few more minutes scrolling through my phone or doing something else entertaining before I actually fall asleep.
This phenomenon is called “revenge bedtime procrastination,” and it’s becoming increasingly common. In response to being busy and overwhelmed during the day, many people stay up later than they know they should out of spite, so they can control at least some of their waking hours doing activities they enjoy.
Clearly, sleep is a massive struggle for many students. High schools around the country are beginning to respond to this change by shifting back start times to accommodate sleep schedules. In Seattle, pushing start times back by 55 minutes increased the grades of students by around 4.5%. More sleep allows for better cognitive skills and a more positive attitude, essential for students to succeed in a learning environment.
Many states, such as Minnesota, Indiana, and West Virginia, have also had districts push back start times, but the process can be complicated. It disrupts the schedules of districts and families, which can especially impact lower-income families, a reason why many schools are hesitant to make this change. However, with the proven benefits of a better sleep schedule, schools may begin to push for scheduling changes anyways, although Dunlap has, unfortunately, started the school day even earlier this year for zero-hour students.
There are many factors impacting the sleep of students, which I’m sure many of us are familiar with. It’s important for parents and administrators to be aware of these issues, which can greatly impact students’ success. Lack of sleep is a serious issue, and it’s one that must be addressed.