Whether or not school should begin later is a topic that has been long debated by high schoolers, families, and school faculty members alike. And while many could discuss a multitude of aspects regarding this question and personal preference, the answer is best left up to science.

According to John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, nine or ten hours of sleep every night is a necessity for a healthy teenager. As teens grow, their circadian rhythms change, causing the timing of when they fall asleep and wake up to fluctuate significantly. 

Many may ask themselves why humans need so much sleep. The obvious answer is rest, but the true answer is much more complex. This restful state isn’t just a time for our bodies to relax. It also doubles as the time where our brains reset, our memories consolidate, and our nervous systems and heart beats calm themselves for the next day.

If a human misses this important restorative period, the consequences are not only symptoms of drowsiness or fatigue. Sleep deprivation weakens the immune system, making the human body easily attacked by disease and illness, and greatly increases risk of obesity, stroke, and heart disease. 

Adolescence is the period where humans experience the most development, necessitating the most amount of sleep. If teenagers do not get the recommended number of hours, they will not only fall behind developmentally, but they will also set themselves up for an abundance of health issues in their future.

For many teenagers, this mandatory period of nine or ten hours is consistently missed due to intense workloads, extracurricular activities, and early wake-up times.

“I get on average about four hours every night,” said NASH student Marge Neena. “I lose most of my sleep while studying late for tests, and then I have to get up very early.”

Many ask themselves if more hours of sleep would truly have a positive impact on their mood and behavior.

“Last year, I really struggled with sleep. My average was about six hours a night. This year, I get about seven hours of sleep every night. I definitely feel a significant difference in my happiness and productivity levels,” said senior Sahana Sivam.

Many students struggle with balancing their work schedule with their school life, especially as they work to save funds in order to attend college.

“Sometimes over the weekend I’m scheduled for thirteen hours,” said Olivia Rodgers. “It makes it very difficult to do homework and to get enough sleep for the next day.”

The true solution to ensure a school full of healthy and attentive high school students is a later start time. With a schedule full of extracurricular activities and job obligations, students need proper time to fuel themselves for the school day. 

Some adults may argue that this will cut into time for extracurricular activities. My question is this: Do extracurriculars need to begin immediately after school? These activities can afford to be moved even a half hour or forty-five minutes later without seriously disrupting student schedules. It also creates time in the early morning for these activities to potentially take place.

Others may also argue that it is too difficult to alter preexisting school schedules, but that isn’t the case. Activity schedules are frequently utilized by school students and are easy to implement at short notice.

In order to ensure a school full of healthy students that are attentive, focused, and ready for the school day, school start times need to be moved. The issue regarding student sleep is not simply an issue of student laziness and sleep preferences. It is an issue concerning the future health and wellbeing of high school students.