When
the alarm clock sets off at 6:45 A.M., it's another grueling morning that follows with making the bed, washing up, dressing, and leaving to take the bus
by 7:15 A.M. Sometimes, you're lucky enough to get a ride or drive yourself to school to get an extra five to ten minutes of sleep and squeeze in breakfast,
while making it to homeroom in time for announcements. Then, first period approaches and it's only 7:45 A.M. A daily routine like this is all too familiar and high school is a challenge for students, more than just academically. For four years, high school students face a similar routine of waking up in the early hours of the morning to head to school before 8 o'clock, for five days a week.
Unfortunately, students face the difficulties of staying awake for eight-hour school days - or longer - due to the lack of sleep that causes an increase in absences and a decrease in academic performance, such as sleeping in class. Punishing students to stay awake, pay attention, and attend school is the opposite of correcting their awry circadian clocks. In order for the educational institutions to benefit students and their learning experiences, high schools should make alterations in their schedules to accommodate students' distorted sleeping patterns. By doing so, students are capable of handling a biological change in their bodies, perform better academically, and prevent harming themselves or
others.
For an average human, an individual requires at least seven to eight hours of sleep in order to fulfill the biological need to rest the body and brain, to avoid
sleep deprivation and weariness. With regard to students, however, studies have found that teenagers are not meeting the amount of sleep needed to be alert and
awake during the day. As young children begin to transition into teenagers, puberty is found to be the leading cause to the change in the circadian rhythm
in their bodies.
the alarm clock sets off at 6:45 A.M., it's another grueling morning that follows with making the bed, washing up, dressing, and leaving to take the bus
by 7:15 A.M. Sometimes, you're lucky enough to get a ride or drive yourself to school to get an extra five to ten minutes of sleep and squeeze in breakfast,
while making it to homeroom in time for announcements. Then, first period approaches and it's only 7:45 A.M. A daily routine like this is all too familiar and high school is a challenge for students, more than just academically. For four years, high school students face a similar routine of waking up in the early hours of the morning to head to school before 8 o'clock, for five days a week.
Unfortunately, students face the difficulties of staying awake for eight-hour school days - or longer - due to the lack of sleep that causes an increase in absences and a decrease in academic performance, such as sleeping in class. Punishing students to stay awake, pay attention, and attend school is the opposite of correcting their awry circadian clocks. In order for the educational institutions to benefit students and their learning experiences, high schools should make alterations in their schedules to accommodate students' distorted sleeping patterns. By doing so, students are capable of handling a biological change in their bodies, perform better academically, and prevent harming themselves or
others.
For an average human, an individual requires at least seven to eight hours of sleep in order to fulfill the biological need to rest the body and brain, to avoid
sleep deprivation and weariness. With regard to students, however, studies have found that teenagers are not meeting the amount of sleep needed to be alert and
awake during the day. As young children begin to transition into teenagers, puberty is found to be the leading cause to the change in the circadian rhythm
in their bodies.