Early Classes = Sleepy Teens (Duh!)

Surveys ការស្ទង់មតិ                       deficit កង្វះ                         start ចាប់ផ្តើម

tired អស់កម្លាំង                             psychologist អ្នកចិត្តវិទ្យា     depression សៅហ្មងក្នុងចិត្ត

sleepy ងងុយ                                  improve ធ្វើអោយប្រសើរ   head​ នាយក

decreased ចុះថយ                          changing ផ្លាស់ប្តូរ               way មធ្យោបាយ

assistant dean សាកលវិទ្យាធិការរង                                                     mood ទឹកមុខ

Surveys of American teenagers find that about half of them do not get enough sleep on school nights. They get an average of sixty to ninety minutes less than experts say they need.

One reason for this deficit is biology. Experts say teens are biologically programmed to go to sleep later and wake up later than other age groups. Yet many school start classes as early as seven in the morning. As a result, many students go to class feeling like sixteen- year- old Danny. He plays two sports, lacrosse and football. He is an active teen- except- in the morning.

He says getting up in the morning is pretty terrible. He is very tired. Through first and second period of school he can barely stay awake.

Michel Breus is a clinical psychologist with a specialty in sleep disorders. He says teenagers need to sleep eight to nine hours or even nine to ten hour a night. He says sleepy teens can experience a form of depression that could have big effects on their general well-being. It can affect no just their ability in the classroom but also playing sports and driving a car.

Michel Breus says any tired driver is dangerous, but especially a teenager with a lack of experience. So what can schools do about sleep students? The psychologist says one thing they do is start classes later in the morning. He points to studies showing that students can improve by a full letter grade in their first- and second period classes.

Eric Peterson is the head of St. George’s school in the state of Rhode Island. He wanted to see if a thirty- minute delay would make a difference. It did. He says visits to the health center by tired students decreased by half. Late arrival to first period fell by a third. And student reported that they were less sleeping during the day.

Eric Peterson knows that changing start times is easier at a small, private boarding school like his. But he is hopeful that other schools will find a way. Patricia Moss, an assistant dean at St. George’s School says students were not the only ones reporting better results. She says just about all the teachers noticed immediately much more alertness in class and a more positive mood.