9/5/2014 - More Sleep

Do you have trouble waking up in the morning? If you do, it may be because you are not getting enough sleep.

Doctors are noticing that many kids do not sleep enough. The American Academy of Pediatrics is a group of doctors that studies young people. The group says that sleepiness is a serious problem for teenagers.

Doctors say that teenagers should sleep from 8.5 to 9.5 hours each night. Many students do not sleep that much, though. Some teenagers do not go to bed until late at night. They then have to wake up for school before getting a enough sleep.  For example, the average student in the 12th grade gets less than 7 hours of sleep a night.

Not getting enough sleep can make students feel tired all the time. This tiredness leads to a number of problems. Being tired makes it harder to be happy, pay attention, remember, and make good decisions.

Start School Later, Doctors Say

So can’t teens just go to bed earlier? The answer is: not really. Studies show that even when teenagers want to go to sleep early, their bodies do not always let them. This means that an earlier bedtime might not help.

If teens cannot fall asleep earlier, how can they get more sleep? Maybe they should sleep later in the morning. This is why the doctors at the American Academy of Pediatrics are now saying that school should start later.

Imagine a school that starts at 8 a.m. every morning. If it started at 9 a.m. instead, students could get an extra hour of sleep each night. This could help students feel rested. It may have other benefits as well. Maybe fewer students would be absent for class. Some may even do better work in school because they are not so tired. This is why some doctors think that starting school later is a good idea.

Will there be enough time for classes if the school day starts later? Will parents be able to get their kids ready for school before going to work? Starting school later may be difficult. Even so, the American Academy of Pediatrics says that schools should try it. Getting enough sleep, they say, is important for teenagers' health.