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California’s decision to implement this new legislation is important for students as they gain an extra hour of sleep in order to recharge their bodies. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “one of the reasons adolescents do not get enough sleep is early school start times.” Due to the lack of attention towards the wellbeing of students, not enough sleep amongst high school students is associated with “several health risks including being overweight, drinking alcohol, smoking tobacco and using drugs, as well as poor academic performance.”

As alarming as this may sound, the later start time allows students to manage their time better in the evening prior and sleeping a healthy amount before attending school the next day. As high schoolers, it is important to have enough energy to get through the day. Without adequate amounts of sleep, schoolwork is useless because the focus and the attention to detail are not there. The late start will help reduce the amount of teenage sleep deprivation and benefit the wellbeing of students in the long run. 

According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), “pre-teens need between nine and 12 hours of sleep a night, and teenagers should be getting between eight and 10 hours of sleep.” These numbers may seem plausible for students, assuming if all of us go home straight after school. However, the study concludes that 73 percent of high schoolers do not meet this number. Change must happen to help the youth maintain a healthy circadian rhythm, and change is starting in the corner of our eyes.