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My Tween Is Worn Out, And Yours Likely Is Too
It’s 6:45 a.m., and my son is perched on the stairs, struggling to tie his shoelaces. He moves in slow motion, taking a full three minutes to get it done. My instinct as a parent is to rush him so he doesn’t miss the bus, but the human side of me feels deep sympathy for him. That level of exhaustion is palpable, as if I’m dragging around a cartoonish anvil.
At least this time of year isn’t as harsh. The sun is starting to rise, and the birds have begun their morning songs. However, during the winter months, it feels almost cruel to send an 11-year-old out into the dark, cold world before dawn.
Beyond personal experience and shared anecdotes with other parents, a significant amount of research highlights the reality of sleep deprivation in tweens and teens. Despite the overwhelming evidence, little has been done to address the issue.
The common suggestion is to simply get kids to bed earlier. But good luck with that! Even on quiet nights, once homework is finished and my son has taken a shower and read, he struggles to drift off. This isn’t due to laziness; it’s biological.
As children approach puberty, their circadian rhythms naturally shift, causing them to feel alert later into the night and needing to wake up after 8 a.m. This directly conflicts with school start times, which often demand kids to be seated in class by 7:30 a.m. Ask any middle school teacher, and they’ll confirm that most kids aren’t fully awake until around 9 a.m.
The consequences of sleep deprivation are serious. Anyone who has experienced it knows just how debilitating it can be. During the first two years of my children’s lives, I often felt irritable and unproductive due to lack of sleep. Kids experience the same struggles. Research indicates that teens require about nine hours of sleep per night, yet many are falling drastically short. Studies reveal that sleep deprivation is a public health crisis for children, leading to poorer academic performance, increased behavioral issues, higher rates of depression and anxiety, and an elevated risk of accidents, especially among newly licensed teenage drivers.
Given the substantial evidence, one must wonder why more school districts aren’t adjusting start times. I’ve been advocating for a later start time with my local school board, and I’ve witnessed firsthand the hurdles we face. Despite presenting the data, some still view sleep as a luxury rather than a necessity. There are also logistical challenges, such as transportation issues, that make changing start times difficult. Often, altering school schedules isn’t cost-neutral.
If we prioritize our children’s health, we must strive for better solutions. While it might be hard to measure, moving middle and high school start times later could ultimately save money in other areas, such as reduced behavioral interventions. If one of education’s goals is to cultivate healthy, productive citizens, it’s a move worth considering.
Sadly, the changes I’m advocating may not benefit my son directly. The school board has been deliberating for two years on this issue, with no guarantee that my son’s school will be among those testing later start times next year. Nonetheless, this is a crucial fight. Watching my child shuffle off to school in the morning only reinforces the urgency of this issue—not just for him, but for all our kids. We can—and must—do better.
For more information on similar topics, check out this post on pregnancy and home insemination at this helpful link. If you’re looking for an authority on the subject, visit Make A Mom. Additionally, the CDC provides excellent resources for pregnancy and home insemination.
Summary
Many tweens and teens are suffering from sleep deprivation due to their shifting biological clocks, which makes early school start times detrimental to their health and well-being. Despite overwhelming evidence pointing to the negative consequences of lack of sleep, many school districts hesitate to change their schedules. Parents must continue advocating for later start times to prioritize children’s health and productivity.