Getting enough sleep can be a challenge for students due to sports, work and homework.
After going through puberty the body produces melatonin later at night, so it can be extremely difficult to fall asleep.
Since melatonin is made later, the body is still producing melatonin until around 9am. Some may try melatonin supplements, but the body can become dependent on them, which can lead to an endless cycle.
Since teens bodies are still making melatonin in the mornings, it’s unnatural for students to wake up early for school and be expected to learn. Because the body biologically should not be awake at this time, it can add stress and anxiety to a student’s plate.
Psychology teacher Lauren Schoellhorn understands that students struggle with focus early in the morning.
“I teach my first hour differently than I teach my other hours because my students are groggy and tired, which can really affect their ability to pay attention and obtain information,” Schoellhorn said.
According to the National Library of Medicine, 1 in 5 adolescents use melatonin to help them sleep. Using melatonin long term can cause more underlying sleep issues, like disrupting the natural sleep schedule.
Bella Titus, 11, has a busy schedule while being on the school dance team and on a studio team as well.
“I tried melatonin a few years ago, but I couldn’t get up in the morning because I was still tired from the melatonin the night before. But I have dance practice very late, so if I took it earlier it’d be during dance,” Titus said.
Starting school at 9:00 am like elementary school would be more beneficial to teens, but after school sports and activities make it difficult to change school start times.
Schoellhorn agrees that school start times don’t favor students’ natural sleep rhythms.
“My little girl is ten years old and I can get her to go to bed pretty early. She should be the one going to school at 7:30 in the morning. My son, he’s starting to push me a little bit, he’s going to be 13 and wants to stay up a little bit later, but he’s in middle school and we have to leave our house at 6:50 to get him there,” Schoellhorn said.
