Having to set lots of alarms in the morning just to make sure you don’t wake up late? Getting yelled at by your parents because you aren’t out of bed by the fifth time they’ve tried to get you up? Skipping breakfast because you can’t miss your bus or be late to school? Running on auto-pilot through your first class? Yeah, many teenagers have a problem waking up.

Teenagers seem to never want to get up early, but it’s not because they’re lazy. Mary Carskadon, a professor at Brown University, discovered a sleep hormone called melatonin is found in teenagers. It’s released from 10:45pm and stops secretion at 8:00am and likely marks the reason why they can’t fall asleep or wake up early. This research convinced some schools to change their entry time to 10:00am. Importantly, schools that have tried it–more than eighty districts around the country, according to NPR–have demonstrated higher academic performance and lower rates of depression.

According to the DBSA, people have internal clocks that tell them when they need to sleep. They cause them to feel alert when the sun is up and drowsy when it’s down. And according to the National Sleep Foundation, teens need about 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night to function best. However, most teens do not get enough sleep; a study showed that only 15 percent of kids sleep 8 hours on school nights. As a result, 20 percent of high school students fall asleep in class each day according to NPR.  These studies prove that teenagers aren’t necessarily lazy; schools just need to adjust to teens’ biological clocks.

Sleep is basically “food to the brain.” Sleep can help people eat better and manage the stress of being a teenager. Sleep also heals and repairs heart and blood vessels. Not having the proper amount of sleep can cause many teens to suffer from sleep disorders, such as narcolepsy, insomnia, restless leg syndrome, or sleep apnea.

With all of the research support teens’ need for sleep, why don’t all schools make the change?  Many site the fact that parents need to get younger children off to school before their work day’s begin. Another often-cited reason is that starting earlier means earlier release times, which are necessary to allow time for after-school sports and activities.  Yet, on the other hand, many parents said that after-school care is an obstacle with the current early starts and believe that kids starting later and therefore getting out closer to when the typical work day ends would make pick-ups, after school activities, and afternoon childcare easier. For example, by changing their start times, because of more parents being able to manage pick-ups and drop-offs with their work schedules, the West Des Moines School District in Iowa reduced the number of buses needed –saving $700,000 annually.

So while the current early start times are convenient to schools and parents, are they best for kids’ education and health?  Consider the fact that all of the following organizations support later start times: The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Psychological Association, the Society of Pediatric Nurses, the American Medical Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

While teens wait for schools to jump on board with what medical professionals are suggesting, here are a few things you can do to help you sleep better by HELPGUIDE.ORG:
✓ Get as much natural sunlight as possible.
✓ Move vigorously during the day—don’t sit for more than an hour.
✓ Limit caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, and big meals at night.
✓ Take time for relaxing activities before sleep.
✓ Create a calm and restful sleep environment.
✓ Try to go to sleep and get up at the same time every day.