Hit Snooze on High School Start Times

Everyone has a circadian rhythm, which is an internal clock that regulates when the body should be sleeping and when it should be awake and functioning. As technology and social pressures continue to influence teenagers' lives, they tend to go to bed later and later. However, high schools are not adjusting their start times.

Obviously, a lack of sleep will make you feel tired. But did you know that not getting enough sleep can lead to physical, emotional, and academic performance issues?

But what is the proper amount of sleep for teens? Usually, anywhere between 8-10 hours is acceptable, but Michael Crocetti even recommends 9 to 9 1/2 hours of sleep.

This is why high schools need to delay their start times to allow teenagers to gain the proper amount of sleep. In 2014, The American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that high schools should start no later than 8:30 a.m. However, the average start time for public schools in 2018 was 8:00 a.m.

If high schools do not cooperate with what experts are suggesting, then their students could face many dangers. The Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine reviewed 864 publications in order to make recommendations on how much sleep children and teenagers should be getting per night. Some of their findings were that a lack of sleep can worsen immune systems and increase the risk of high blood pressure.

High School students are also put at risk when driving. I personally had a few close calls when driving to school after only getting 6-7 hours of sleep on average. However, in Fairfax County Virginia, delaying start times decreased teen crashes by 5.25%, even when the rest of Virginia saw a 3.5% increase in crashes.

Teenagers are also prone to suffering from mental health problems. The Journal of Youth and Adolescence found that losing just one more hour of sleep increases the chance of suicide by 38%, the number of suicide attempts by 58%, and the likelihood of substance abuse by 23%.

In schools that have delayed their start time, many have seen positive results in attendance and graduation rates.

In her article How to Make School Start Later, Danielle Dreillinger provides more than enough evidence as to why high schools can make the necessary change to start later. Typically, parents are reluctant to change start times because they can help their kids go to school before work and so their older kids can get home before younger siblings. However, many parents see that their children greatly benefit from sleeping more and work out other solutions.

As for school boards, there is plenty of evidence and expert testimony that show why high schools need to start later. Ron Reedy, principal of Sissonville High School in West Virginia, says it best, "We as a society have a responsibility to our youth, and whatever is best for the kids ought to be our prime directive...regardless of the inconvenience for adults."