Later School Start Times Research Paper Example

As Mesut Barazany once said, “Your future depends on your dreams, so go to sleep.” Sleep is crucial and is “one of the most sensitive phases of human development” (Alfonsi et al. 1). Less than 10% of high school students get the recommended amount of sleep each night (Bostwick 591). There are numerous reasons why adolescents may not be getting enough sleep, such as social life, homework, after-school activities, or the use of technology at night (Alfonsi et al. 4). While these are a few factors of sleep deprivation in adolescents, one of the biggest factors is the change of circadian rhythms. During adolescence, the body “does not begin producing melatonin until around 11 PM and continues in peak production until about 7 AM, then stops at about 8 AM” (Carrell et al. 64). The body will not get tired without melatonin production; therefore, the adolescent body usually does not get tired until around 11 PM. Studies show that adolescents lose about two hours of sleep during the school year compared to the summer months (65). There is only 17% of high schools in the United States that start school at 8:30 AM or later, which is about 4,543 high schools (Barshay “PROOF POINTS: Later School Start Time Gave Small Boost to Grades but Big Boost to Sleep, New Study Finds”). Every study shows there are benefits to starting school later, and helps create “better young people” (Time of Your Life: What Makes Us Tick?). To meet students' demands, schools must start later. 

Achieving good grades is something that some high school students value. Having good grades and maintaining them can be challenging when students do not get adequate sleep. Numerous studies have shown that the “number of hours of sleep is positively correlated with the measures of academic achievement” (Carrell et al. 63). On the other hand, studies have also proven that lower sleep quality amounts to lower school achievement (Alfonsi 5). Students that are not getting enough quality sleep have a harder time paying attention in class and staying focused, which is why students getting less sleep are more likely to have lower grades (Suni “How Would Later School Start Times Affect Sleep”). Schools want their students to have high levels of academic achievement, but this task proves to be nearly impossible when schools start early in the morning.

Due to most high schools in the United States starting early, the attendance is not good during the morning hours. Studies show that high schools that start after 8:30 AM have higher attendance rates and less tardiness compared to schools that start before 8:30 AM (Neuroth 2). This shows that students are more likely to show up and be on time when schools start later. Other studies have shown that when delaying high school start times to 10:00 AM, there is more than a 50% reduction of absences due to “illness” compared to the national rates (Alfonsi 8). Whether these absences from being sick could be real or fake, this statistic shows a huge attendance increase. Attending school and being on time is vital, and having schools start later is important to increasing student attendance rates. 

A goal for many schools is to keep their students safe and healthy, which includes the mental health of their students. Having good mental health has many benefits; and, students from high schools that start early in the morning are more likely to have depression (Alfonsi 4). High schools that start early are also more likely to have students with higher rates of suicidal ideation and suicidal attempts (4). Each hour of sleep a high-school student loses is “associated with a 38% increase in the odds of feeling sad and hopeless” (Rodriguez “Teenagers Who Don’t Get Enough Sleep at Higher Risk for Mental Health Problems”). Studies show that when delaying school start times, there is a “decrease in student-reported depression and unhappiness ranging from just over 4.5 %to greater than 20%” (Neuroth 2). In addition, there is a 42% increase in considering suicide and a 58% increase in suicide attempts with each hour a high-school student loses sleep (“Teenagers Who Don’t Get Enough Sleep at Higher Risk for Mental Health Problems”). Many schools talk about suicide prevention and having good mental health, and starting school later is proven to be one step in the right direction. 

Next, there are many physical health consequences of not receiving enough sleep. One of the largest physical health consequences, when adolescents do not receive enough sleep, is “metabolic dysregulation and cardiovascular morbidity” (Alfonsi 4). This means that adolescents who do not receive enough sleep have a higher chance to be obese than adolescents receiving enough sleep. The next physical health consequence for sleep-deprived adolescence deals with a higher cardiometabolic risk (4). This means adolescents experiencing sleep deprivation are more likely to have issues with their vascular tissues and are more likely to develop diabetes. The final few physical health issues for sleep-deprived adolescents are as follows: increase in blood pressure, increase in headaches, persistent fatigue, increase in lower back pain, increase in neck pain, and an increase in abdominal pain (4). Schools talk about the importance of physical health, and starting school later can prevent physical health consequences.

Many studies have shown starting schools later leads to a decrease in teenage vehicle accidents. Car accidents are the leading cause of death among youth in the United States (5). Studies show that driving while sleep-deprived produces “psychomotor impairments equivalent to those induced by alcohol consumption at or above the legal limit” (Bostwick 593). It is illegal to drive while under the influence of alcohol, so why should teenagers be allowed to drive if sleep deprivation causes the same psychomotor impairments as alcohol? One study showed that pushing school back by one hour had a 16.5% decrease in teenage crash rates (Suni “How Would Later School Start Times Affect Sleep”). On top of that, a 15-minute delay in school start times has a 34.5% decrease in late-night, single-car teen accidents (Bostwick 599). These statistics all come from rural settings, but in a more urban area, where there are more cars, it is estimated that delaying school start times would have an even higher impact on decreasing teenage car accident rates.

While some teenagers participate in risk-taking behaviors, those odds increase with sleep deprivation. Bullying and fighting are two examples of this (Suni “How Would Later School Start Times Affect Sleep”). Schools strive to be a bully-free zone, and when schools start early, it increases the odds of bullying. One study showed that when one hour of teenage sleep is lost, there is a 23% increase in substance abuse (Rodriguez “Teenagers Who Don’t Get Enough Sleep at Higher Risk for Mental Health Problems”). Sleep deprivation links to an increase in tobacco smoking, marijuana use, and alcohol consumption (Alfonsi 5). Studies also show that teenagers are more likely to participate in unsafe sexual activity when sleep deprived (5). Schools often speak against risk-taking behaviors. Seeing that sleep deprivation causes an increase in risk-taking behaviors, it can be beneficial for schools to start later to decrease these odds. 

Sleep is one of the most important things for a human. With schools starting early in the morning, it causes many students to be sleep-deprived. Sleep deprivation has many negative consequences. Many benefits come with later school start times. These benefits include improvements in school attendance, academic achievement, mental health, physical health, and decreases in car accidents and risk-taking behaviors. Delaying school start time has support from multiple students, teachers, and parents. With all the benefits coming from delayed school start times, there is no doubt that schools need to start later.