Teens need more sleep

Students during and after puberty experience a shift in their biological clock causing them to sleep later than before which also means that they need to sleep in longer than before.  However, the school times don’t change to accommodate this, and sometimes school starts even earlier for the junior high and high schools. This leads to a decrease in the amount of sleep students get.  According to Sleep in Middle and High School students, an article published by the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, 72.7 percent of high school students don’t get enough sleep. High school students are supposed to sleep eight-10 hours a day, but many of them sleep far less than that.

A lack of sleep can lead to many detrimental effects such as trouble concentrating and thinking, memory issues and mood swings. This can cause problems in both the academic and social lives of students as they are more likely to see a drop in academic performance and athletic performance. Students who are sleep deprived are also more likely to lash out and have accidents. 

According to The effects of sleep deprivation on your body, an article published by Health Line, sleeping helps pathways form between nerve cells that help the body remember information.  Without sleep, memory will be affected, and the ability to concentrate will decrease. 

The immune system will also be negatively impacted if one does not get enough sleep. While the body sleeps, the body will produce infection fighting substances such as antibodies. A lack of sleep will lead to a decreased amount of antibodies making the body take longer to fight off infection or recover from an illness.

Students need to get more sleep whether that is going to bed early or not drinking caffeine in the afternoon.

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