Sleeping Teen Disrupts School Day

[Jean in Newcastle]

 No one is debating the biological need for sleep, just whether that sleep should occur by sleeping in later or going to bed earlier. 

 

Why debate at all?  Why not just tell the OP what works for us and what our own reasoning was, and let her decide what will work for her and her children? 

 

ETA:  It is not a moral failure for different people to choose different things based on their family needs and culture. 

Edited January 31, 2016 by Jean in Newcastle

[theelfqueen]

I didn't really intend the video (nor my comment on it) as debate ... just a bit lighthearted in tone :)

[Rosie_0801]

I agree that many are chronically sleep deprived; but we know that those in societies that aren't driven by clocks are often early risers...agricultural societies often involve an early-to-bed, early-to-rise model. We need more sleep but I don't think it really needs to be in the morning hours, I think most people are staying up far later than their body signals them to sleep, especially teens. 

From the bits I've read about biochemistry, early to bed- early to rise tends to work better for men and women tend to work better the opposite way. Men tend to be deficient in dopamine, and the optimal time for dopamine production is the two hours before midnight. Women tend to be deficient in serotonin, and the optimal time for serotonin production is the two hours past dawn. Taking into account the sleeping patterns of small children and the likelihood it is Mum dealing with it, I consider this an evolutionary buggerup.  :glare:

 

Disclaimer: There may be new info available since the last time I read up on it.

Disclaimer: If you are female and can get up at 4am every morning with no symptoms of serotonin deficiency, I am not calling your gender identity into question.  :p I am envious though.

[Lanny]

Teens need more sleep and their clocks are off. so they probably go to bed later and wake up later in the morning. There is an "Extra" I've seen about this (when viewers in the USA are shown commercials) or this was in an article I read. I think it was a TV segment I saw. As I recall, some Brick and Mortar High Schools are beginning their school day an hour or so later now, to make it easier on the students.

[lailasmum]

My 11 yr old sleeps a solid 12 hrs 2 or 3 days a week, the other days she'll sleep about 10. I just go with it and I quite like having the separate time with my younger kid as he gets up at the crack of dawn every day. The only time it's a problem is if we have to get out first thing in the morning. Generally I don't like waking a sleeping child, I remember too many days at secondary school when I was exhausted because there weren't enough hours in the day to sleep as much as I needed and do everything else and I'm glad that we can prioritise sleep.