By D N Singh
No denying that sleep is indispensable part of our life system. With changing time and increasing load of the existing life-style, be it in any sphere, load of work has come as a major deterrent to sleep and thus deterioration in health and mental state. .
Imagine about our posterity those in schools left to slug from early morning bells for which they have to go sleepless and barely getting sleeping hours, drastically cut down by over three hours each day.
Why can’t we listen to doctors
A study published in the 2017 journal, ‘Sleep Health’, revealed that children who start their day at school before 8:30 am in the morning can barely meet the minimum amount of sleep required for their bodies, which is around 8-10 hours.
So early classes, Why?
There is one common question that each one of us must have wondered about at some point or the other in our lives – “Why do schools have to start so early?” As a child, most of us loathe getting up early in the morning to rush to school.
Why cannot be the classes get started after 9.30 AM? Nothing surprising about that when we recall the days of schools in the 60s to even 70 and those schools had produced students those who excelled exponentially in their respective streams. When, classes beginning at 7 am was never thought of.
Pitiful sight
Students and teachers come bleary-eyed, forcing freshness on their faces yet unable to hide the weariness.
We longed for the weekends so that we did not have to force ourselves out of bed and wake up at unearthly hours. Even today, watching parents standing at the bus stop with their little kids to send them off to schools at wee hours of winters, when the whole world is sleeping, makes for a merciless sight.
Most schools, including top schools in almost all parts of India, have early morning school hours. Here, we list 5 major reasons why school hours should be reoriented.
Research reveals that sleep-deprived kids are at a higher risk for behavior problems, and their grades may suffer.
The secret to success at school? Sleep!
“A full night’s sleep affects every aspect of a child’s physical and mental health, which in turn impacts school performance,” says pediatric pulmonologist’s from the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center’s Pediatric Sleep Center.
But most school-age children and teens are not getting the recommended eight to 11 hours of sleep they need, according to the National Sleep Foundation.
“Middle and high schoolers need to buy into the plan that sleep is important,” says the study . It suggests having age-appropriate discussions about how lack of sleep affects them personally. “Engage with them individually. Some kids will respond to logic; others might need a carrot-and-stick approach.”
Evening game hours can be cut down so kids aren’t rushing home from practice and going right to bed— Have homework done early so computers can be turned off at least an hour before bed—the blue light interferes with the body’s sleep cycle. Aim to have an early dinner , since eating too close to bedtime can make it difficult to doze off. Strict ban on mobile phone engagements may induce early sleep.
