<h2 class="wp-block-heading eplus-wrapper">Slumbering shenanigans</h2>

It is a memory we all have. Lying back in bed and trying to ignore the light streaming in through the window. Drifting off into a warm, carefree morning slumberSleep.. But suddenly the door opens and somebody comes storming in, wrenching open the curtains. "Wake up, slugabedA person who remains in bed due to laziness. !" they might cry. "The day is wasting away."

For teenagers, it is a common tropeA recurring theme, especially in fiction. Damsels in distress, for instance, are a common trope in fairy tales and old-fashioned romances.. Being moody, tired and sleeping all the time are dismissed as "just what teens are like". But some experts believe that schools are to blame, not young people.

Teenage brains create the sleep hormone melatoninA hormone produced by your brain in response to darkness. later at night than kids' and adults' brains. Because they have a radically different circadian rhythmThe 24-hour internal clock in our brain that determines how alert or sleepy we are. to people from other age groups, teenagers may crave later nights and sleeping into the day.

This might explain the hordes of zombified, sleep-deprived adolescents who trudge to the bus every morning. In many countries, 8am remains the norm for school opening hours. But this means that many teens are getting far less sleep than the 8 to 10 hours that experts suggest is optimalThe best. .

One study showed that when students in their mid-teens started school at 10am instead of 8.30am, rates of illness decreased by more than half over the course of two years. Their grades also improved.

And those are only some of the benefits that come to the well-rested adolescent. Other studies have shown that teenagers are at reduced risk of depression, obesity and substance abuse when they get enough sleep.¹ Schools that start later tend to have better attendance and to perform better in national achievement tests.²

British children are the sixth most sleep-deprived in the world, whilst American children top the rankings for lack of sleep.³ Data shows that only 32% of secondary school students in the UK get enough sleep during the school week.

Just a half-hour delay to the start of the school day could heraldA sign something is about to happen. dramatic improvements in young people's health. And it would help schools to operate better too: studies show teachers' mental health could also benefit from a little more time in bed.

But the problem would not be solved by later mornings alone. Some believe that we should instateSet up. a sleep curriculum in schools, full of lessons about how to promote and enhance sleep.⁴ Resting is an art, just like everything else.

Should school start later?

Yes: All of the evidence suggests that teens would be healthier and happier if they started school later. For the sake of teachers and students alike, we should implement this change.

No: The studies are inconclusive and some suggest that teens would just sleep later if they had a later morning, meaning that nothing would improve.

Or... This change could not be done without radically altering the hours that adults work to align the lifestyles of young people with their older peers. Otherwise, adults would have to pay more to have their children supervised in the morning.

Slumber - Sleep.

Slugabed - A person who remains in bed due to laziness.

Trope - A recurring theme, especially in fiction. Damsels in distress, for instance, are a common trope in fairy tales and old-fashioned romances.

Melatonin - A hormone produced by your brain in response to darkness.

Circadian rhythm - The 24-hour internal clock in our brain that determines how alert or sleepy we are.

Optimal - The best.

Herald - A sign something is about to happen.

Instate - Set up.