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Essay / Late morning start - 829
Have you ever gone to school sleepy and/or tired before? This is also the case for many other students in the United States and many other countries. Although sleep deprivation could eventually be addressed by better parental control, schools should start later in the morning, because adolescents need on average about 9 hours of sleep, students' academic performance would improve and Teen car accident rates would decrease significantly. significant rate thanks to better concentration. There are many other added health benefits associated with arriving later at school, including but not limited to: fewer depressed feelings, irritability, and lack of sleep in general. Lack of sleep can cause obesity, strokes, heart attacks, attention deficit disorder (ADD), mental retardation, and many other serious health problems. All of these health and physical problems can possibly be avoided if schools plan to open later in the morning. When a child enters puberty, not only does their body change physically, but their biological makeup changes as well. “Research shows that adolescents need at least as much sleep as children, typically 8 1/2 to 9 1/4 hours each night” (Carskadon). Most teens don't get 8-9 hours of sleep due to a common sleep disorder. This disorder is called delayed sleep phase syndrome, or DSPS, which can be caused by the pressures of a school schedule conflicting with changes in the body's natural circadian rhythm, commonly known as the body clock. This disorder is not only found in adolescents, but also in children, which can lead to moderate to severe problems: Children and adolescents with DSPS may suffer from depression and other psychiatric problems, including behavior, as a consequence. .....pinion/14kalish.html?_r=0>.Lee, Fred. “Adolescent Driving Safety and Early School Start Times.” Parental team. Killer Aces Media, June 16, 2010. Web. March 20, 2014. “More schools start later to accommodate sleepy teens.” » More schools will start later to accommodate sleeping teenagers. FindingDulcinea, February 8, 2010. Web. March 11, 2014. “Start school later in the morning, sleepy teens say.” » ScienceQuotidien. ScienceDaily, and Web. March 19, 2014. .Trudeau, Michelle. “High schools start later to help sleeping teenagers.” NPR. NPR, January 18, 2007. Web. March 11. 2014. .