Teens and parents alike will always be asking the age-old question- “Am I getting enough sleep?” to that the answer is, probably not. Students who have work to do at home and other obligations will most definitely not be sleeping as much as they should.

Because teenagers have a biological shift after puberty, people will go to sleep two hours after they did before puberty. So if you used to go to sleep at ten in middle school that means you’ll probably be getting tired at midnight instead! The average teenager should be getting eight to ten hours of sleep, so if class starts at eight, they’ll need time to get up and will probably be waking up at six-thirty. To get the recommended amount of sleep, they’d need to go to sleep around ten.

Going to sleep at ten doesn’t sound that unreasonable, right? Studies show that blue light (our phone screens, televisions, computers, etc.) can delay the release of melatonin for up to three hours before bed! That means turning everything off at seven! For students who have homework online or need to use their phones later than that, seven just isn’t enough time to get everything done before bed. Especially for students who go to work or do college classes outside of high school, this isn’t enough time for them to finish all the work they have in the day.

Schools should have an option for students who need more time in the evening, meaning an option to have classes to start in the afternoon instead of the morning.

Citations

“Is Blue Light Actually Harmful?” UnityPoint Health, www.unitypoint.org/livewell/article.aspx?id=67e49f2f-7012-4a3e-b82d-79031e2ede6b. 

“Sleep in Adolescents.” Nationwide Children’s Hospital, www.nationwidechildrens.org/specialties/sleep-disorder-center/sleep-in-adolescents#:~:text=After%20puberty%2C%20there%20is%20a,hours%20later%20in%20the%20morning.