By Brooke Klemens ‘29 Staff Writer
Teenagers love to label themselves as “night owls,” but what happens when this label intrudes into daily life? The average high schooler goes to bed around 11:30 p.m. While many people would agree that this is late, for a teenager, 11:30 p.m. is an optimal bedtime. When a teenager undergoes puberty, their natural circadian rhythm, an internal clock that regulates sleep, shifts. The circadian rhythm responds to light and releases melatonin, a chemical which promotes sleepiness. During puberty, these melatonin secretion patterns change to trigger a later bedtime and wake-up. When a teenager doesn’t feel tired at 11 p.m. it’s a result of their development.
The messed-up sleep schedule part occurs in the morning. On school days, the average wake-up time for a teenager is about six to seven a.m. However, an optimal wake up time, according to a teenager’s circadian rhythm, is around 8-8:30 a.m. By going to bed at 11 p.m and waking up at six to seven a.m. the average high school student gets around seven to seven and a half hours of sleep.
According to a Youth Risk Behavior Survey that was collected in 2015, 73% of high school students in the United States get less than the necessary eight to ten hours of sleep. Without enough sleep, students perform worse academically and struggle to focus in class. Sleep deprived students also experience a weakened immune system and an increased risk of chronic conditions such as heart disease.
If high schools delayed their starting time to 9:25 a.m., this new schedule would better match the circadian rhythm of teenagers. With a more optimal sleep pattern, teenagers could see increased focus, health, and overall academic performance within the student body, which should be the goal of any school.
In 2019, California passed a first-of-its-kind law stating that public high schools cannot start classes earlier than 8:30. While not bound by this law, Sacred Heart has the ability to delay the school’s start time. Mr. Jorge Reyes, Assistant Principal of Curriculum and Academics and part of the committee in charge of the Sacred Heart schedule, said that the only concern when adjusting the schedule is to “make sure that [the school is] covering all of the [necessary] curriculum.” Shortly before the law was enacted, Sacred Heart shifted its start time from 7:50-8:25, and it made a notable impact on the community. Reyes said the shift was “a significant improvement.” This schedule change was not just a later start every day, but an extra-late 9:25 a.m. start on Wednesdays. Technically, this “late” start accommodates a teenager’s circadian rhythm, allowing students to go to bed at 11-11:30 p.m. and wake up at 8-8:30 a.m.
Despite offering a late start, students might not even use this opportunity for additional rest. Dr. Holly Brown, director of the Health and Wellness department said, “I would be interested to see how many of our teenagers actually use it for an extra hour of sleep.” There are a myriad of reasons why students might not use Wednesdays for the extra sleep: they may commute with other family members who still have to be up early, have extra work to do, or practice for a sport. A later school day would affect family, guardians, and members of the school community. Brown, as a sports therapist, said that it’s “going to push back all the extracurriculars, which then again, still pushes into everyone’s evening time to get home, to get homework done, to have dinner, and get into a proper sleep pattern.”
It’s a delicate balance between starting school later, yet offering ample time for sports practice and room for commuting without forcing others to change their schedules. Regardless, Sacred Heart has the resources available to meet student needs. A delay in the start time of the school would align the academic schedule with the circadian rhythm of teenagers, ultimately benefitting the student body. If the community can do it every Wednesday, what’s stopping it from happening daily?
