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School Start Times

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In a recent survey, over 76% of high school students said that they usually get seven hours of sleep a night. Considering workloads and school start times, a majority of the 76% claim that there is nothing they can do to acquire more sleep each night. Lack of sleep has become a problem for teenagers statewide, and it is completely out of their control. The majority of high schools in Michigan start classes before 8:00 a.m. Some people believe this is too early for students to start learning. However, others think it would be too much of a hassle to change the timetables. Although busing schedules would need to be rearranged, the Michigan Board of Education should delay high school start times. While it is true that bus schedules would have …show more content…

According to Owen Mindell, the average amount of sleep that teenagers get is between 7 and 7.5 hours per night. However, the average teen needs between 9 and 9.5 hours of sleep each night. With most students waking up between 5:00 and 6:00 a.m., they would have to be fast asleep by 8:00 or 9:00 p.m. in order to get their required sleep. Taking homework, tests, and extracurricular activities into account, this is a nearly impossible feat. Schools starting later would help teens attain their much needed sleep. Secondly, studies posted by Sara Bellum show that the teenage body slows its melatonin production later in the day than adults and children. Melatonin is a chemical released by the brain that, in short, makes people tired. Therefore, teens are very tired in the mornings, and are more awake in the afternoons. If high schools started later, students could spend more time in school while they were wide awake. A third reason for classes to start later is the physical and mental health of teenagers. A study by the Sleep Foundation Organization showed that increased sleep can reduce the likelihood of depression, metabolic defects, and obesity. It can also increase productivity, attentiveness, mood, and grades. Due to early school start times, teens are experiencing serious health problems. Later school start times would allow teens to get more sleep, and in turn would benefit their health and

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