Friday, January 9, 2009

It seems that us teenagers can't exactly help but feel sleepy during school. Teenagers need 10 hours of sleep, as opposed to adults needing only 6-8. Teenagers also tend to go to bed later (because of digital distractions) and wake up later. It's all biological, and not entirely our fault.

"Research conducted at the University of Kentucky in Lexington found that when Fayette County high schools delayed their start time by an hour, the percentage of students getting at least eight hours of sleep per night jumped from 35.7 to 50 percent."

Not only that, but vigilance also increased within teens, which shows when you look at accident rates before and after the change.

"They found that two years after the change in Fayette County's school start time, the crash rate for teen drivers dropped 16.5 percent. Meanwhile, crash rates increased 7.8 percent in the rest of the state, where the school schedules had not been adjusted.
...Research conducted in the Minneapolis, Minnesota, school district in August 2001 found that when the system changed its starting time from 7:15 to 8:40 a.m., attendance improved and students reported getting an extra hour of sleep per weeknight."

"Going to bed earlier is not effective, because a teenager's melatonin levels, hypothalamus and internal clock are changing during puberty. 'Teenagers are going through physiological changes that make it physically difficult to fall asleep before 11,' Croft said. "

On the other hand, children have no problem with going to sleep and waking up earlier, which is making some sleep experts recommend that children go to school earlier while teens go later not only to fulfill biological needs but also bus schedules.

What do I say?

I AGREE. THANK YOU SCIEEENCEE. <3>

And haha, I always knew there was something that made us teenagers want so much sleep.

Park, M. (2008, December, 15). Falling asleep in class? Blame biology. CNN, Retrieved January 9, 2009, from http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/12/12/sleep.teenagers.school/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

Labels: school work