Teenagers these days are not getting a lot of sleep. Exhausted students walk through the halls of Northwood every day, their sleeplessness unnoticed but for the dark circles under their eyes. The zombified high schooler is not uncommon. In fact, many students in America are also facing this serious issue every day.
According to the National Sleep Foundation, teenagers need from 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night, but this doesn’t happen often. In the teenage years, adolescents go through a shift in their circadian rhythm.
“Teenager’s bodies wait to release melatonin until about 11pm, which is 2 hours later than what we see in adults or younger children,” said sleep sleep scientist Wendy Troxel in her Ted Talk, “Sleepy teens: A public health epidemic.”
Sleep is crucial for teenagers; during this time, our bodies heal and are developing physically and mentally. Because teenagers naturally wake up later than adults, this causes conflicts with school. Many schools start at about 8:00 a.m., including Northwood. If you were to wake up at 6 a.m. to ride the bus or get ready for school and went to sleep at 11:00 p.m., that would only allow for 7 hours of sleep, which, even though would be under the recommended amount of sleep per night, would be a good night’s rest for many teens.
Though teenagers naturally fall asleep and awaken later, there is also homework and extracurriculars to consider. As if it isn’t enough to be sleep deprived by school starting so early, extra curriculars also keep students busy during times they could be working on homework, so they have to stay up to complete it.
Lack of sleep can cause many problems, especially in teenagers. While sleeping, your body grows and heals, so one may be more susceptible to illness with little sleep. There is also an increased risk in high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity. Lack of sleep causes irritability and moodiness. Sleep loss is also a major cause of car wrecks, especially with new drivers, which is a major concern as numerous sleepy teens drive themselves to school each day.
When talking about the amount of sleep they got, an anonymous Northwood student said, “Not enough […] because I have to wake up to come to school.”
A way to increase the amount of sleep teenagers get would be to push back school start times. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine urges “communities, school boards, and educational institutions to implement start times of 8:30 a.m. or later for middle schools and high schools.”
This later start time will provide students more time to get the sleep they need to stay healthy and awake at school. One student suggested that excessive amounts of homework may be another cause for getting less sleep.
“[Pushing back school start times] would help us sleep but it wouldn’t help with homework issues,” Marcus Jackson, a senior, said.
Homework, extracurriculars and early start times are all causes of tired and unhealthy teens, but there is a clear solution in implementing later school start times that many schools are ignoring. School boards are hesitant to make this change in schools because of the problems that it may cause, such as changing around sports schedules and childcare services before and after school. A school in Illinois pushed back school start times, but reverted back to the old start time due to backlash from parents.
“They [the parents] already struggled to pay the district or someone else to watch their kids before and after school while they worked, and this change would have increased the time that childcare was needed,” said Lexi Cortes of BND News.
“If we were to change the start time of school, how would that affect everything else? I don’t know, but it would and we would figure it out,” said Northwood Vice Principal Zack Chutz.
Sleep is critical for teenagers, but they are not getting enough of it.
The National Sleep Foundation says that “Obviously, moving bell times (at school) is one major step in a larger picture of ensuring that adolescents get the sleep they need […] Many teens assume they are expected to function with a lack of sleep, but sleep is not optional; it is biologically necessary.”
Sleep Playlist:
Nocturne in a Minor by Chad Lawson
When the party’s over by Billie Eilish
Come out and play by Billie Eilish
Hostage by Billie Eilish
For Stormboy by Rhiannon Bannenberg
Saturday Nights by Khalid
Better by Khalid
Paranoid by Post Malone
Stay by Rihanna
Palace by Sam Smith
Stay with Me
Kusanagi by ODESZA
Fix You by Coldplay
Faded In The Morning (acoustic version) by Unknown Mortal Orchestra
In A Sentimental Mood by Duke Ellington
Secret Xtians by Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Losin Control by Russ
Moon Undah Water by Puma Blue
Dark Love by Sam Evian
Think About Me by DVSM
Social Sites (acoustic) by Cosmo Pyke
Black River Killer by Blitzen Trapper
Not About Angels by Birdy
Don’t Want to Say Good-Bye by Cut Worms
The Real World by Drugdealer
Banana Pancakes by Jack Johnson
Corduroy Dreams by Rex Orange County
Remedy by Adele
Dreaming with A Broken Heart by John Mayer
Ministry of Alienation by Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Redemption by Drake
Marvins Room by Drake
Atoll by Nai Palm
Bloo by zack villere
Ace by Noname
New Slang by The shins
Fire & Desire by Drake
