the human body blueprint

Behavior Surveys reported a short sleep duration, which was defined with teens aged 13-18 years old sleeping less than 8 hours (Wheaton AG, Jones SE, Cooper AC, & Croft JB, 2015). According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, teens should be sleeping between 8 and 10 hours a day; with such a large disparity between expectation and reality, sleep quality is an issue that needs to be addressed (Paruthi, et al , 2014, p 785)

There are many reasons for why teens sleep less than recommended; some factors include a long commute to school, biological changes, and extracurriculars (Judith, et al., 2014, p. e922). Teenagers experience sleep phase delay when they enter puberty, which shift’s their sleep schedule to about 2 hours later (Judith, et al , 2014, p e922) However, the amount of sleep that they must get each night remains the same (Judith, et al., 2014, p. e922). This is often unachievable for most teenagers since most schools start early in the morning and students need to wake up much earlier for the commute. (Heiser, 2019). Moreover, teens also spend time on different activities such as clubs, sports, and other extracurriculars (Richter, 2015) These all contribute to a later sleep schedule for teens because students prioritize these things over proper rest. For some teens, sleeping more on weekends can make up for a “sleep debt” that they built up throughout the week, which can cause even later sleep times (Richter, 2015). With a combination of these factors, teens often sleep less than they should be

Sleep quality is extremely important in the developing bodies of adolescents

Without a sufficient amount of sleep, teens can suffer from chronic sleep deprivation Sleep deprivation has several negative impacts on a person’s life. (American Academy of Sleep [AASM], 2008). Some observed consequences include struggling to concentrate well, lowered grades, and increased stress levels that can in turn lead to various mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression For high school students who often have responsibilities such as jobs or taking care of younger siblings, sleep quality is paramount to functioning well.

A potential solution to the problem of sleep deprivation among teens is to delay start times for school so that teens can wake up later Some research has already been done; past studies have been completed to determine an association between sleep and grades, as well as the influence on mood In a study conducted on 882 freshmen students, the average sleep reported was 7.6 hours per night, with 48% reporting an average of less than 8 hours (AASM, 2008). This reaffirms the general trend of sleep deprivation among teens. Additionally, the study reported that hours of sleep per school night was significantly associated with grade performance and motivation in school (AASM, 2008) Although the study was unable to claim that poor sleep led to the negative consequences, it was able to demonstrate an association between sleep and grades (AASM, 2008). Another study was conducted in Seattle to explore the effects of moving school start times in a district by 55 minutes later on students (Dunster, et al , 2018) In the results, researchers found an increase in median sleep by 34 minutes, and a 4 5% increase