Why Teenage Students Are So Tired In School

If you walk around my middle school located in Mukwonago Wisconsin, you would notice a lot going on in classrooms. But the biggest concern is how tired the students are, even if it isn’t their fault. Whether it’s 7:30 in the morning or 2:00 in the afternoon, these students are always tired. Most adults just tell teenagers to go to sleep earlier, but that isn’t the issue.

“I typically go to sleep at around 10:30 pm when I’m tired. But in the morning, I’m still tired,” an eighth grader by the name of Maddy said. Teenagers often feel tired because of school’s early start time. Studies show that students are tired because of the stages of sleep. The final stage of sleep called Rapid Eye Movement, otherwise known as REM, ends at about 7:00 am for teenagers. But because high schoolers and middle schoolers wake up between 5:30 and 6:30, they aren’t getting the opportunity to finish REM, which causes them to be more tired.

Some students recommend pushing back the typical start time of 7:24 to 8:00. “Even 35 minutes can make a difference,” Maddy says. This reporter agrees on the idea to push the start time back to 8:00. It will only push the ending time back 30 minutes, but at least the students will be feeling awake all throughout the day. Although, the start time will not be pushed back 35 minutes without the help of you.

So speak up! Write an email to teachers, guidance counselors, or principals to inform them of this issue. Even you can make a difference, even if it is a slight one.