It’s 6:45 a.m., and my son is slumped on the stairs, taking his sweet time to tie his shoes. It’s a three-minute ordeal as he moves at a snail’s pace. My instinct as a mom is to rush him so he doesn’t miss the bus, but my human side feels a deep sympathy for him. That level of exhaustion feels tangible, as if I’m dragging around a cartoonish anvil.
At least it’s getting brighter in the mornings now; the birds have been singing for a while. But in winter, sending an 11-year-old out into the cold and dark feels downright cruel.
Beyond my personal observations and shared experiences with other parents, there’s substantial evidence showing that sleep deprivation among tweens and teens is a genuine crisis. Despite the wealth of scientific data, little has changed to address it. The common suggestion has been to simply “put them to bed earlier,” but this rarely works. Even on quiet nights, after finishing homework and reading, my son struggles to fall asleep. This struggle isn’t due to laziness; it’s biological.
Research indicates that as children approach puberty, their circadian rhythms shift, making them naturally inclined to stay up later. The nonprofit organization Start School Later highlights that preteens and teens often don’t feel sleepy until well past typical bedtime hours, and their bodies don’t signal for them to wake up until after 8 a.m. This is in stark contrast to many school start times, like my son’s, which expect students to be ready to learn by 7:30 a.m. Ask any middle school teacher, and they will confirm that most kids don’t fully wake up until around 9 a.m.
The ramifications of sleep deprivation extend beyond mere inconvenience; they are alarming. Anyone who has experienced sleep deprivation knows how debilitating it can be. I can recall feeling irritable and unproductive during the early years of my children’s lives when sleep was elusive. Teens are no different; studies reveal they require around nine hours of sleep each night. However, how many are actually getting that amount? The lack of sleep among kids is not just a minor issue—it’s become a public health crisis. It affects academic performance, increases behavioral problems, and heightens risks of depression and accidents, especially for newly licensed teen drivers.
So, if the evidence is so compelling, why aren’t more school districts adjusting their start times? This is the pressing question. I’ve been advocating for changes within my local school board to push back middle school start times, and I’ve witnessed firsthand the obstacles. Even when faced with the data, some still regard sleep as a luxury rather than a necessity. Others hold outdated views, suggesting that those who need more sleep are simply “lazy.” Structural issues, such as limited transportation resources, further complicate matters, as changing start times often comes with financial concerns.
However, prioritizing our children’s health should take precedence, and we must strive for improvement. Adjusting school start times could ultimately save money in other areas, such as behavioral interventions. If one of the main goals of education is to develop healthy, productive citizens, we need to pursue these changes actively.
Unfortunately, the changes I’m advocating for may not benefit my son directly, as our school board has been deliberating for two years without a definitive timeline. They hope to implement changes in a few test schools soon, but there are no guarantees my son’s school will be among them. Nevertheless, I believe this is a battle worth fighting. Witnessing my child drag himself to school each morning reinforces the urgency of the issue—not just for him, but for all kids. We can and must do better.
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In summary, it’s clear that sleep deprivation among tweens and teens is a pressing concern that impacts their well-being and academic performance. As parents and advocates, we must push for necessary changes in school start times to prioritize the health of our children.