Have you ever fallen asleep in class or had to go to school really tired? This is a common experience with all high school students. The common question is: Should school start later?

According to John Hopkins Medicine, teenagers need an average of nine and a half hours of sleep a night, but most teenagers only get an average of seven hours of sleep. When teenagers don’t get enough sleep it affects their cognitive functioning and their memory. As Frank Caro, our psychology teacher here at Cathedral, says, ”When people are more sleep deprived they become more emotionally reactive.”

When teenagers are more emotionally reactive and don’t get enough sleep they are put at a higher risk for anxiety and depression. According to the National Library of Medicine, “teens who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to get depression.” Caro added on to this saying, ”They become more emotionally reactive which is going to relate to anxiety.” Caro also explained that when teenagers have too little sleep they feel disconnected from their peers and feel isolated.

Sleep also relates to how students perform academically in many ways. Caro explained, ”When you have adequate sleep, your cognitive abilities are improved, your memories are improved, your concentration, and attention span are improved, and your mood is improved.” When students get a good night’s sleep they can perform well academically because they are able to remember things easier and are able to pay attention for longer.

A lot of teenagers assume that caffeine replaces sleep and helps you become less sleep-deprived, but in reality, caffeine is just tricking your brain into thinking you aren’t tired anymore. “Caffeine stops the signal telling your brain that you are tired,” explained Caro.

If school started later teenagers would be able to get enough sleep to perform well academically and would be able to get enough sleep to help their brains be fueled for the next day. Getting enough helps to reduce the risk of depression and anxiety. When teenagers are able to get enough sleep it proves how useful it is by grades getting better and mental health improving.