Table of Contents
Introduction
The research question for this paper seeks to answer to what extent science supports the proposition that school hours should be changed during teenage years. Sleep deprivation in adolescents is now recognised globally as an important health issue. Data has proven that in countries such as the USA, Canada, Switzerland and Brazil, there is a continual trend for later bedtimes in adolescent years.
As shown in Mary Carskadon’s recent research, although there may be social and environmental elements that affect teenagers’ sleep, changes in distinct biological processes that take place with the dawning of puberty are causing adolescents not only to need more sleep but also to feel sleepy at a later time. Built-in brain mechanisms regularly control sleep and wake. These mechanisms can be described as Swiss researcher Borbèly’s “two-process model”. The two processes being the sleep-wake homeostatic process and the circadian biological timing system. So, how do these processes change during teenage years to result in different sleep patterns?
This is an important matter to resolve as this lack of sleep is having dire effects on students. It has a significant effect on mental health, academic performance and accidents. This issue is affecting teenagers at a very critical stage of learning and brain development. Kyla L Wahlstrom’s 3-year study showed that adolescents getting fewer than eight hours of sleep reported substantially greater depression symptoms. This study also demonstrated that the total number of automobile crashes for teen drivers from 16 to 18 years of age was decreased by 70% when a school altered start times and academic performance outcomes showed positive improvements.
127 our experts are availableright now
As a teenager myself, I understand the struggles associated with lack of sleep and fully support any changes that could be made to improve our quality of life. In this essay, I will explain the science and analyse the effects of sleep deprivation in order to understand whether school hours should be changed for teenagers worldwide.
The Science behind the Proposition
As explained in Wahlstrom, Kyla’s multi-site study, two systems known as the circadian rhythm (Process C) and homeostasis (Process S) influence sleep patterns. Homeostasis can be considered as a measure of sleep pressure. This is, when you’ve been awake for some time, the pressure to sleep gets bigger, but, if one has been sleeping for a while, the pressure to sleep decreases. On the other hand, circadian rhythms can be seen as more of a biological clock that advises when sleep should take place.
As explained in the 2007 study Crowley, Acebo, & Carskadon, “The circadian timing system provides temporal organization for regulatory mechanisms to facilitate adaptive behavior, such as feeding, reproduction, and sleep/wake cycles.” This feeling of when sleep should occur is linked to when the body is exposed to light. Since the circadian timing mechanism oscillates at a time slightly different from 24 hours, the main stimulus it uses to sync up to our day is the routine shift in daylight and darkness. As well as when a hormone known as melatonin gets secreted.
One element is delayed timing of melatonin secretion at night throughout adolescence, which equates to a transition from more ‘morning’ to more ‘evening’ person, leading to difficulty falling asleep at an earlier bedtime. This is called a “phase delay”. Around the time of puberty, most teenagers begin to undergo a sleep-wake ‘phase delay’ which is when one has later sleep start and wake times. It is characterized as a delay of up to 2 hours (relative to sleep–wake in childhood years). It has been shown that the pressure to fall asleep usually becomes lower as a child enters adolescence.
The second biological factor is an altered “sleep drive” throughout adolescence. This is when the pressure to nod off builds up more slowly, as demonstrated by the adolescent brain’s response to sleep deprivation and by an extended time to fall asleep after being awake for 14.5 to 18.5 hours in teenagers before and during puberty.
This can help to elucidate why sleeping patterns change with puberty, along with the natural phase delay within the biological timing system.
“On a practical level, this research indicates that the average teenager in today’s society has difficulty falling asleep before 11:00 PM and is best suited to wake at 8:00 AM or later.
As a result, most teenagers stay up late on school nights, getting too little sleep.”
The Effects of Sleep Loss
Health
Health is a big factor to consider in sleep loss. Studies have shown that insufficient sleep in teenagers can lead to anxiety and mood disorders. In childhood, sleep struggles have shown to be a significant indicator of the development of anxiety and depressive symptoms as they reach adolescence.
This negative outcome of sleep complications in childhood appears to continue into adolescence. Moreover, teenagers are more prone to have lower self-esteem, more struggles managing their emotions, a more pessimistic view towards life and higher rates of mood disorders.
Caffeine consumption was also associated with amount of sleep. Adolescents acquiring less than 8 hours of sleep per weekday night reported greater use of caffeinated drinks than teens obtaining at least 8 hours of sleep. This result is consistent with those of other studies investigating the consumption of caffeine where students who consumed more caffeinated drinks were found to have a harder time staying awake at schooland were found to sleep less overall. “Caffeine takes a major toll on a teen’s sleep. Every 10 milligrams of caffeine a 13-year-old boy consumes decreases his chances of getting 8.5 hours of sleep by 12%”A cycle of inadequate sleep leading to more consumption of caffeine is thus created.
In Wahlstrom’s multi-site study, teenagers getting less than 8 hours of sleep had considerably higher scores than others getting 8 or more hours per school night on the depression symptom scale.
Academic performance
In the National Sleep Foundation poll, 28% of students were said to fall asleep in school a minimum of once a week, and more than 1 in 5 fell asleep doing homework. Many studies show a relationship between decreased sleep length and lower scholastic achievement, as well as greater rates of tardiness and decreased preparation to learn.
The general body of research demonstrates that good sleep has a positive relationship with academic results for students from middle school, up to college.
Wahlstrom’s multi-site study collected data on the effects of changing school start-times on adolescent behaviour, examining multiple school districts in multiple locations across the U.S. They collected data concerning students’ academic performance, such as grades earned and tardiness.
As seen in the results of Wahlsrom’s multi-site study, when school start-times were changed, there was a significant reduction of tardiness in students overall.
Wahlstrom’s study showed considerable improvement of grades. The table below shows GPA results in the core subjects and discloses significant amelioration in GPA for all students in five of the six high schools that were tested.
Accidents
As a result of inadequate sleep, adolescents are also at greater risk of sleepy and lethargic driving–related accidents.
Lower quality sleep has been shown to be correlated with higher rates of accidents among teen drivers. A study that used records of teen automobile accidents found that, in a city which had an earlier school start time than another nearby city, but was demographically similar, teenage car accidents happened at a higher rate. It is logical to assume that this distinction in crash rates is in part due to differences in sleep for teens in the two cities given that thorough research indicates that students who start school later get more sleep.
In Wahlstrom’ multi-site study, the vehicle crash data was supplied by the Wyoming Department of Transportation. The researchers sought data for crashes occurring only within Teton County. In this section of the research study, Teton county, Wyoming had a significant reduction in car crashes during the school year after the later start time was initiated. “The number dropped from 23 to 7 for drivers 16 to 18 years of age, which is a crash rate reduction of 70%”.
The Counter Arguments
However, we must bear in mind that some studies have said otherwise…
Mathematicians at the University of Surrey claim that adjusting school start times does not profit teenagers who are sleep deprived. Research from Surrey and Harvard University has shown that adolescents’ biological clocks are especially susceptible to the effects of light intake. The researchers say that the main cause of exhaustion amongst teenagers is too much exposure to light in the evening (bedside lamps, phone screens, reading lights…) The research argues that later school start times in adolescents would have no impact on sleepiness if the over-consumption of light remained unchanged, particularly late at night. The teen’s circadian clock will only adapt to the new start time and result in them being just as exhausted as they were previously.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the evidence is overwhelming that delaying school start times would greatly benefit adolescent students. The majority of studies conclude that, delaying school start-times, even by only an hour, helps reduce the effects of sleep deprivation such as automobile accidents, impaired academic performance and reduced focus in classes. However, a big question arising from my research is why, in light of such compelling evidence, have very few schools applied this change? Firstly, the status-quo often prevails; usually people prefer to stick to what they know and are resistant to change. Practicalities also play a part. Delaying high school start times could pose problems with after-school activities, bus timetables, sporting events etc. There is also the possibility of resistance from staff with later finish times and a lack of uniformity across other school systems. Although these are valid concerns, they are surely not irresolvable. The welfare of all students should be a priority in order for us to benefit from our education, stay healthy and, thus, benefit society as a whole.
References
- Teens and Sleep – Article from the Sleep Foundation about the importance of sleep for teenagers.
- The Impact of Sleep on Academic Performance – Research article on the effects of sleep on academic performance.
- Sleep Deprivation and Deficiency – Information from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute on sleep deprivation.
- Adolescent Sleep Patterns – Book chapter from the National Center for Biotechnology Information discussing adolescent sleep patterns.
- Sleep in Adolescence: Physiology, Anatomy, and Circadian Rhythms – Scientific review article on sleep in adolescence.
- Sleep Duration and Quality: Impact on Lifestyle Behaviors and Cardiometabolic Health: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association – Statement from the American Heart Association on the impact of sleep duration and quality on health.
- Time Change Disease: The Dangerous Chronic Health Hazards of Daylight Saving – Article discussing the negative health effects of changes in sleep patterns.
- Sleep Apnea – Information on sleep apnea and its impact on sleep quality.
- Later School Start Times in Adolescence: Time for Change – Research article advocating for later school start times for teenagers.
