“Fatigue is the best pillow,” asserted Benjamin Franklin. After a long, tiring day filled with school and extracurricular activities, all students can hope for is a good night’s sleep. They are having trouble focusing in class, which is affecting their performance. Studies show that starting school later can greatly improve students’ health, grades, and overall well-being. The earlier school starting times are worsened by the earlier bus times, which makes students wake up earlier in order to make the bus. Therefore, for students to have an adequate amount of sleep and perform stronger academically, changing school start times is essential for their overall performance.

The issue of sleep deprivation among high school students is widespread and serious. Many students get 3-4 hours of sleep per night, which is due to the early hours of school and busy times filled with homework, extracurricular activities, and part-time jobs. Sleep deprivation makes it harder for students to concentrate, resulting in lower test scores and memory problems. It also affects their physical health by weakening their immune system and increasing stress and anxiety. According to the Youth Risk Behavior Surveys, “approximately 72.7% of high school students report insufficient sleep, with around 20% getting fewer than six hours a night.” This lack of sleep is leaving students feeling tired with dry eyes and poor posture. Students fall into a cycle of burn out, which affects both their grades and well-being. Therefore, it is important to address this issue by finding ways to help students get adequate rest so they can perform their daily activities well.

One effective way to address sleep issues among students is by changing school start times. Studies provide strong evidence that later start times improve student performance and health. A study conducted by Alfonsi et al. (2019), published in the National Library of Medicine, looked at how school start times affect sleep, attention, and academic performance. The researchers compared the Early Start Class (ESC), with 30 students starting school at 8:00 a.m., to the Late Start Class (LSC), with 21 students starting at 9:00 a.m. on their sleep time, quality of sleep, and performance every month from October 2018 to May 2019. Results showed that the LSC group got an average of 34 extra minutes of sleep every school day throughout the year. This extra sleep improved their concentration, resulted in better grades, and increased school attendance compared to the Early Start group (ESC). The study concluded that delaying school start times by one hour can positively affect sleep and academic outcomes, emphasizing the importance of later start times for schools.

Changing school start times is further supported by the biological changes that students undergo during adolescence. Changes in circadian rhythm makes it difficult for the students to sleep early before 11 p.m. and waking up early when school starts at 7:00 a.m. Even with these changes, students still need 7-10 hours of sleep per night. After all, many of them cannot get enough sleep and are constantly tired. If schools adjusted their schedules to accommodate natural sleep patterns, students would be able to get adequate sleep. This will help them stay focused and perform well in school and stay healthy. By addressing students’ sleep needs, schools can support their learning and overall well-being.

While biological changes adolescents experience strongly support adjusting school start times to natural transitions, some argue that these transitions are associated with practical challenges that schools face, such as scheduling bus times, school external activities, conflict with routine parental practices but these issues can be addressed with thoughtful planning. Being well-rested is crucial for one’s mental health and for maximizing one’s performance on a daily basis. By starting school later, bus times will be delayed and school activities will be delayed; as a result, students can sleep later freely without worrying about having to wake up earlier. By providing additional public transportation options or creating resources to support students after school could also make the transition easier. Therefore, bus times are too early and this has an adverse effect on a student’s body and their sleep. In fact, research shows that well-rested students get better grades and have fewer behavioral problems, which overcomes short-term challenges. Relaxed students are more focused and involved, helping schools improve academic success and the community by becoming healthier, more independent individuals.

In conclusion, sleep deprivation is a problem for high school students that affects their grades and health. Studies show that when students start school later, they get enough sleep, which helps them be more productive and healthier. While there are challenges to this, they can be solved with good planning, as being well-rested is a bigger priority. Starting school later will help students feel relaxed and focused, benefiting both them, and the school.