Here at Central Kitsap High School we start school at 7:50 AM, which can be an early start for others and can cause complications in their school work or even just their lifestyle in general. What if we could start school later in the day? This could probably decrease the amount of struggling students.

According to  The University of Washington news, researchers found that if teens get more sleep, show improved grades and attendance with a later school start time. Researchers at the University of Washington and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies announced that teens at two Seattle high schools got more sleep on school nights after start times were pushed later “This study shows a significant improvement in the sleep duration of students — all by delaying school start times so that they’re more in line with the natural wake-up times of adolescents,” said senior and corresponding author Horacio de la Iglesia, a UW professor of biology.

Although getting enough sleep may not seem that big a deal, teens who don’t get enough sleep and are overtired are more likely to struggle in school, have trouble with memory, concentration and motivation (the desire to accomplish a goal), be involved in car crashes and other accidents. Sleepiness affects reaction times, or feel depressed, which can become a serious medical condition if not resolved. 

Teens need more sleep because their bodies and minds are growing so quickly. “My performance would be better at school if I got more sleep because then I’m not so tired and I have more energy,” said, Freshman, Shekinah Sousou. 

Scientific research shows that many teens do not get enough sleep. To be at your best, you need between 7 and 8 hours of sleep every day.  “When the brain doesn’t sleep we can’t have our best performance during the school day, we can’t focus because our attention is shorter. It can even affect mood and emotions or might be more emotional,” said Shayna Kalayijian our school psychologist here at CK High.