Adolescents and Sleep-Deprivation: Should High School Classes Start Later?

Jilly Dos Santos (high school student of Rockbridge) of 17 years suffered at school at 7:50 every morning. In the case of Jilly, please hurry and do not have breakfast, please be late. "I will die ... I will drop out of school," Jilly said the Board of Education is considering starting school 30 minutes ago (Hoffman 2). From a biological point of view she became a sleep activist calmly as she knew that her teenagers went to bed after going to bed. Mary Carskadon is considered an expert in teenage sleep and circadian rhythm and teenagers argue that they should take about nine hours of sleep per night (Onyper).

In particular, in high school, in order to cope with biological changes occurring during adolescence, it is necessary to start classes late in the morning. Adolescence experienced a delay in sleeping phase, which is also known as a change in circadian rhythm. Teen's body secretes melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone that regulates sleep from 10 o'clock to 11 o'clock in the evening, not from 8 o'clock to 9 o'clock in the evening. Before puberty, young people are keen to stay up all night. However, it still takes 8-10 hours of sleep. Therefore, young people feel that they need to get up at 3 o'clock in the morning. "Some studies indicate that adolescents can not remove this melatonin-induced sleep until 8 am, which makes the start date of future schools more desirable." 4

Today 's adolescent faces a wide range of chronic health problems: sleep deprivation. According to statistics, students should sleep 8 to 1 hour and a half overnight. When a child goes to high school, many sleep deprivation situations may occur. Like air you suck, sleep is essential to your health. It can help you eat better and even manage the pressure to become a teenager. Lack of sleep and difficulty sleeping may limit the ability to learn, listen, concentrate and solve problems. The fundamental cause of the problem is the poor youth sleeping habits that can not sleep well over a long period of time, the busy schedule and extracurricular activities, the time of work, homework and family obligations, and the conflict of social needs like early childhood Etc. Biological change that makes start time and most teens sleep later Let's wake up the clock