Shifting School Start Times Essay
Shifting School’s Starting and Ending Times
Everyone has dreaded getting up early for school, so most people would think that getting an extra hour of sleep would be fantastic. This could be made possible by beginning each school day later in the morning. While shifting the starting and ending times of a school day is a big change, students will benefit from the new schedule.
It is often assumed that later school starting and ending times will interfere with sports games and practices. However, if the student athletes are getting more sleep because of later start times, the games and practices will be more successful because they will be more rested and focused. Activities, such as sports, can alter a teen’s sleep schedule (Edwards). Therefore, if teens are playing sports later in the evening, they will be ready to wind down earlier and get more sleep for school, meaning they will maintain more energy throughout the entire day. This will also lead to more academic success. …show more content…
“A recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report linked lack of sleep to health risks--being overweight, drinking alcohol, smoking tobacco, using drugs--as well as failing classes” (“4 Good Snooze”). Another problem teens are experiencing from lack of sleep is a change in hormones, which can cause the teens to crave more unhealthy foods, become depressed, and possibly even develop diabetes (Noland). The excessive sleepiness caused by early school start times can also have a negative effect on cognitive function (Millman). Based on this evidence, we can conclude that if school starts later, the students will get more sleep, causing a decrease in physical and mental health
Everyone has dreaded getting up early for school, so most people would think that getting an extra hour of sleep would be fantastic. This could be made possible by beginning each school day later in the morning. While shifting the starting and ending times of a school day is a big change, students will benefit from the new schedule.
It is often assumed that later school starting and ending times will interfere with sports games and practices. However, if the student athletes are getting more sleep because of later start times, the games and practices will be more successful because they will be more rested and focused. Activities, such as sports, can alter a teen’s sleep schedule (Edwards). Therefore, if teens are playing sports later in the evening, they will be ready to wind down earlier and get more sleep for school, meaning they will maintain more energy throughout the entire day. This will also lead to more academic success. …show more content…
“A recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report linked lack of sleep to health risks--being overweight, drinking alcohol, smoking tobacco, using drugs--as well as failing classes” (“4 Good Snooze”). Another problem teens are experiencing from lack of sleep is a change in hormones, which can cause the teens to crave more unhealthy foods, become depressed, and possibly even develop diabetes (Noland). The excessive sleepiness caused by early school start times can also have a negative effect on cognitive function (Millman). Based on this evidence, we can conclude that if school starts later, the students will get more sleep, causing a decrease in physical and mental health