According to the National Sleep Foundation, only a mere 15 percent of teenagers receive the required 8.5 hours of sleep per night. In addition, teens have extremely irregular sleeping patterns which hurts their biological clocks as well as their quality of their sleep. Between AP classes, extracurriculars, family, friends, and time to relax, it’s hard to expect students to receive eight hours of night every night. This begs the question on whether or not school should start later. The quick answer to this question is yes. Ask almost any student in high school and they’ll agree that an extra hour of sleep sounds extremely tempting. Not only does it sound peaceful, but it’s also proven to provide extra health benefits. According to Health.com, it improves memory, helps lengthen life, and spurs creativity. Growing teenagers need enough sleep in order function in their daily lives between school, sports, and work. The quick answer to this question is yes. Ask almost any student in high school and they’ll agree that an extra hour of sleep sounds extremely tempting. Not only does it sound peaceful, but it’s also proven to provide extra health benefits. According to Health.com, it improves memory, helps lengthen life, and spurs creativity. Growing teenagers need enough sleep in order function in their daily lives between school, sports, and work. In countries such as Germany, students are not allowed to drive to school due to the start time being too early, as I learned from one of the German exchange students. Junior Noah Levine asks, “How are you supposed to learn and remember that knowledge at 7 in the morning if you can't even drive a car that early?” If I had a dollar every time I’ve heard my friends talk about the three hours of sleep they get every night, I’d have enough money to never have to come to school anymore. Students have started to sacrifice their well-being in order to finish their homework and study excessively for tests. Even though they’re staying up later at night in order to try to receive better grades in school, they’re actually hurting their brain more than helping it. According to the National Sleep Foundation, the brain uses the time you use for sleep in order to build new pathways. These pathways help with concentration and reaction time. Negating the recommended amount of sleep leads to bad decision making and slows down your thinking processes. Sleep deprivation has no positive benefits to a student whose main goal, at the moment, is to learn in order to have a better future. Luckily for Wilson students, we may have a chance of getting a later start time. Principal Dr. Fiore said, “I am always open to discussions that could lead to increased student performance and a healthier student. With regards to starting school later, there are numerous questions that would need to be addressed in order to advance the discussion beyond just an idea. We would also want to bring all stakeholders into the discussion such as parents, teachers, and students. I believe there is merit in having this discussion as a community.” So never say never, Wilson students - perhaps an extra hour of sleep is on the horizon.
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Ersha KumarWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
December 2015
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