I sit, half-asleep in my second hour class. The teacher has been lecturing for the last 20 minutes but I haven’t heard a word. My eyes are heavy and my mind is foggy. I know my homework will take twice as long tonight, but I cannot bring myself to focus on the board. I’m too tired. 

As a sophomore in high school, I’ve become used to this feeling. Every morning, I struggle to get out of bed and start the day. Instead of feeling energized, I wake up drowsy and exhausted.  

I’m not alone. The GENYouth Foundation found that 74% of high school students identified as sleep-deprived. Notably, a majority of students, 63%, recommended delaying school start times. 

Administrators are forcing students all over the country to wake up before the sun has risen to go to school, causing our mental, emotional and physical health to suffer. The American Psychological Association (APA) reports that students who receive the recommended amount of sleep — approximately 8.5 to 9.25 hours — have improved memory, less difficulty paying attention, better control over their emotions and an easier time staying awake during class than their sleep-deprived peers. Furthermore, the APA reports that insufficient sleep increases the likelihood of disciplinary issues and classroom conflict. Just a 55-minute delay in the start time caused students at one Seattle school to have improved attendance, decreased tardiness and higher grades. 

This is not just teenagers whining about going to school early. According to a study by Michigan Medicine, biological sleep patterns change when humans enter adolescence, causing teenagers to both wake up and fall asleep later than when they were younger. There is evidence that teenagers need to have delayed start times in order to get adequate sleep due to our changing biological sleep patterns. 

Critics dispute this overwhelming evidence by citing issues such as the cost of transportation as well as the reduced time for extracurriculars and sports. However, I argue that officials should prioritize the potential benefits for students when determining policy instead of looking at possible economic costs. 

Even though delayed start times does mean a delayed release time for schools, which affects extracurriculars and sports, there are advantages of delayed start times for sports as well. A study published in the Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics found that student athletes who received less than eight hours of sleep each night were 1.7 times more likely to experience a sports injury than student athletes who slept the recommended amount. The study also found that the likelihood of injury increased for sleep-deprived athletes as they entered higher grade levels.

Although delaying school start times may cause an increased cost for transportation and reduced time for extracurriculars and sports, these minor inconveniences are worth it to ensure students get enough sleep and are able to feel rested and safe during the day.