Introduction:
The majority of high school students do not get enough sleep each night, and this trend has increased in recent years. A policy that is gaining traction is that of delaying school start time in order to allow students to sleep more hours each night.
Body 1:
Based on this assumption, the Seattle School District decided to delay school start time by nearly an hour during the 2016-2017 academic year. Instead of beginning the school day at 7:50, now students were able to begin the day at 8:45 am. This was done in order to counteract a trend that is common in industrialised societies. Adolescents operate best when they get nine hours of sleep. However, few students enjoy this.
Body 2:
According to the publication Science Advances, this change allowed students to enjoy 34 minutes of extra sleep on average each day. The total nightly sleep increased from six hours and 50 minutes to seven hours and 24 minutes. This meant that most students were sleeping longer than they were before. By sleeping longer hours, they were also more likely to be aware at school. It also reverses the trend on sleep deprivation in students.
Body 3:
I believe that this is a good change. The Seattle School District has proven that delaying school time does help students get more sleep. In turn, when students get closer to their recommended sleep time, they are more likely to perform better at school, feel less anxious, handle stress better and build positive relationships with people. I believe this is a change that should be implemented all over the country.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, evidence shows that delaying school start times can increase the time that students sleep, and in turn this can increase their overall health and well-being. This measure should be implemented all over the country.
