Most people believe that school start times don’t affect teenagers or any kids, but come to find out it affects teenagers the most. Over the years there have been many debates about school starting later and if it really helps or not. Teenagers should get at least 8.5 to 10 hours of sleep each night, but the common teenager gets 5 to 7 hours each night. School should start at 8:30 am or later, to improve: homework and test performance, teen car accidents, drug usage in teens.
Teens have been known for being lazy when it comes to homework and test because they claim they are “tired”or they say “I’ve had a long day”. Studies on sleep have shown that they aren’t wrong about being tired because most of them aren’t getting the recommended amount
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Some people believe that teenagers think it’s cool to do drugs or drink and in most cases they are, but some of the students use them to keep them awake. In the article “Teen and Sleep: What Happens When Teenagers Don’t Get Enough Sleep” by Juliann Garry, “sleep-deprived teens are more likely to use stimulants like caffeine and nicotine to get through the day but also to deal with sleep-related negative moods by self-medicating with alcohol”(par.9). Sleepy teenagers that use drugs or drink alcohol are putting their health at risk. But it’s not just their own lives they are affecting because if they don't control it they will become addicted and eventually end up hurting people they love the most just to get the drugs. Teenagers shouldn’t be able to access drugs just because they think it will keep them awake and in reality it’s just giving a false sense of energy to them. Also drugs can affect teens being able to focus during school and after school while they are trying to do homework.
To conclude, school should start at 8:30 am or later, to improve: homework and test performance, teen car accidents, drug usage in teens. Think of it like this: if school started later would it truly impact student grades? The impact it has on a student depends on how good the student can self regulate. But starting school starting late the teachers wouldn’t have to yell at kids for sleeping in class, turning in work late and being late for school. Schools should really think about changing the start times of school to 8:30 am or