Sleep deprivation Essay Example For Students

Sleep deprivation Essay Plan: The federal government will provide local school districts with incentives to change the starting time of the secondary schools to a time that fits with adolescents biological need to sleep. Harms: Sleep experts feel really strongly that high school timings are out of sync with the natural circadian rhythms of adolescents, commented Michele Kipke, head of the National Academy of Sciences Board on Children, Youth and Families (Kaufman). One way to correct this inconsistency would be to start the school day later. Because of their unique sleep needs, teenagers brains are not ready to be alert until long after the typical high school day has begun, said Richard Gelula, Nation Sleep Foundation Executive (National Sleep Foundation, Adapt). Most high schools in the United States begin school between 7:15 and 7:45 (Kaufman). This is a problem because teenagers require around nine hours of sleep per night, but often times cannot fall asleep until eleven at night (Kaufman). Gelula added that even teens who get the correct amount of sleep, because of their internal clock, tend to be sleepy in the mid-morning and alert later in the mid-afternoon (National Sleep Foundation, Adapt). Responding to recent research on teenage sleep, many school districts have changed their starting times to later in the morning, most notably in Minneapolis, where high schools now begin class at eight thirty A.M. (National Parent Information Network) By making sure teenagers maintain regular sleep habits, educating teens on the importance of getting enough sleep, and beginning school later in the morning, the problem of teenage sleep deprivation can easily be corrected. Most teens are ignorant of the effects of sleep deprivation, and even those who are aware choose not to follow the recommendations. In both cases, they are only hurting themselves. Though getting the proper amount of sleep can be inconvenient, it is indispensable for reaching ones full .