Later Start Times: Should Teenagers Have Extra Time

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Teenagers are required to wake up, do chores, function properly, maintain academics, participate in extracurricular activities, and complete it all in a twenty-four hour timespan. The demands of home and school can be overwhelming for most young adults and can take a toll on their well beings. The obligations have forced teens to find extra time to fulfill their daily requirements by choosing to skim off their sleep. Teenagers cannot give their all too so many different activities if the lack of sleep affects their energy and concentration. More sleep positively correlates with a student’s well being and sense of awareness both inside and outside of the school setting. Allowing students to have extra time in the morning with a later start to school can create a safer ride to school by increasing their alertness and focus on the task at hand. Later start times …show more content…

For example, according to studies, teens have a natural circadian rhythm, which can be disrupted by the early start time of school. When a teen’s “internal clock” is interrupted, it can lead to insecurity and loss of self-esteem inside the academic setting and at home. This disruption of sleep patterns will cause teens to overcompensate by taking more naps. When teens try to buildup some of their sleep debt, it can harm them if they take a nap longer than sixty minutes. Trying to catch up on sleep is inevitable, but changing a young person’s sleep and wake schedule throughout the week is unnatural to the human body. The human body has a natural sleep and wake schedule and expects to stay on that cycle. The lack of sleep poses a serious health concern in teenagers such as depression and obesity (Chesire, CNN Wire). Teens that lack sleep versus people who get more sleep, see benefits in terms of mood stabilization, improvement in overall self image, and a better understanding of their needs and wants (Sienic,