Sleep Deprivation Caused By School Start Times
During the school week, students’ physical and mental health are risked because of how early school starts. Depending on what time you fall asleep at, you may end up having to wake up routinely without getting enough sleep. With sports and homework every day during the week, most students are not able to go to bed at a time in which they are able to get the 8 to 9 hours of sleep they need. Although it is good to get your school day done with early, school should be started at a later time in the morning so students could get a good night sleep, can participate well in physical activity, and function in school. Changing the school’s start time will make a great impact in the amount of sleep they get. It is said that a lack of sleep can higher the chance of obesity or depression.
A review of 16 studies found that sleeping for less than 6 to 8 hours a night increases the risk of early death by about 12 percent. Chronic sleep deprivation can interfere with your body’s internal systems and cause more than just the initial signs and symptoms such as excessive sleepiness, yawning, irritability, and daytime fatigue. Getting your normal 8 to 9 hours of sleep makes you feel energized and well rested which would lower the chances of being in a grumpy mood. Also, you need to get enough sleep for your body to function properly. A lack of sleep could cause your body’s reactions to slow down and slow down your body’s ability to remember information.
Changing the time that school starts at to a later time would cause students to increase the amount of hours they sleep for. Another reason why school should be started later is for better performance in physical activity. Even one night of little sleep can affect your workout. A study published in the International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health showed that “reaction times decrease and performance on tasks like driving and operating machinery declines”. Plus, sleeplessness increases sensitivity to pain. This means your workout will feel all the harder even when you aren’t working as hard as usual.
Your risks for an injury are greatly increased when your reactions, thinking skills, and judgement are slowed down. A lack of sleep raises your body’s cortisol levels which makes it harder for you to fight off infections. You can’t possibly get a good workout in if your immune system is already weakened. This goes to show, that making school start a little bit later for a better night’s sleep could help to [prevent injury in exercising and sports. Most importantly, starting school at a later time would increase your concentration and effort in classes. According to Health, “During sleep you can strengthen memories or practice skills learned while you were awake (it’s a process called consolidation)”.
This shows how even when we are not learning, our ability to remember things is increased by a good night sleep. Sleep also enhances your ability to understand and process the information you are taught. It helps you focus, think more creatively, solve problems,and remember important information. For students sleep can greatly benefit your ability to get good grades. Another thing sleep does is help you make good decisions.
It improves your judgment and reduces your risk of making dangerous mistakes considering some of the bad decisions kids make are in school. Sleep is obviously a vital thing your body needs to function. Without a good night sleep our body would not be able to go through our everyday activities and be an active person. Just by having your average 8 or 9 hours, you will have good physical and mental health as you will be able to prevent injuries and be in a better mood. A lot of the sleep our body needs is lost because of the early start of the school day.
Changing the start time of school to later makes us have a good night sleep, helps with sports and exercise, and helps us with concentration in school.
