Sleep, the elusive activity that seems unattainable to the high school student. According to Mayo Clinic, the average teen gets only 7 hours of sleep, roughly 3 hours less than the recommended amount. Experts believe that this lack of sleep is due to excessive technological use, social attitudes and activities, and a hectic high school schedule. Although some of these problems seem unsolvable, there is one solution that can help change the amount of sleep a teenager gets drastically. 

The idea that school should start later in the day provides a solution for many problems within teenagers lives. The The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that if schools were to push back their start time, there would be almost immediate improvement not only in how much sleep teenagers get, but also their academic performance and quality of life. A whopping 93% of high schools, including Pella High,  start school before the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended start time of 8:35. However, it is visible that schools in states such as California are making the effort to heed the advice of experts and start school around the time of 8:35 or later. 

Using the evidence provided it would be a very well informed decision to push back the start time of all schools in America to 8:35 or later. If this were to happen, not only would the sleep schedule of teenagers improve, but their social lives and academic success would benefit as well.