Teenage Sleep Deprivation and it’s Effects

by Zildjian Do you ever feel deprived of sleep at school to the point that you can’t function ? Well studies show that this is a pretty big possibility for teenagers. Especially because teenagers need at least 8.5 to 9.5 hours of sleep, according to numerous medical experts, most teenagers in the U.S. only get around seven. The national sleep foundation found that 60% of teenagers under 18 feel tired through out the day while 15% claim to have fallen asleep in class at least once throughout the year. The University of Minnesota found that schools that pushed start times to 8:30 showed amazing results with students getting an average of five more hours of sleep per week. The change resulted in higher attendance, fewer car accidents, a substantial drop in rates of depression throughout the student body, and most importantly overall grade improvements in students. How many hours of sleep do you get a night? Do you ever feel sleep deprived during the day? What does that feel like? Do you think that school start times should be pushed to later in the morning? If so what time? How would you do better if you got more sleep? How important is sleep to you?