Fact: teenagers are supposed to get nine hours of sleep a night.

Fact: You probably don’t, considering 85 percent of teens don’t get enough z’s.

Fact: sleep is vital for growing.

Why are you yawning while reading this? It’s obvious: you’re tired. You stayed up late finishing an English essay, and then you woke up early to cram for AP.

So who’s to blame? Is it your fault for not managing time? Are you sleepy due to your after-school job? Or is school the problem?

“School is supposed to be an enjoyable experience,” sophomore Jordan Finks says. “Waking up at six a.m. isn’t the best way to start the day happy.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics urged schools to start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. Guess how many schools followed this brilliant advice?

Here’s a hint: Southern Lehigh, along with 85 percent of U.S. schools, still has the first bell ringing before 8:30 a.m. That’s right, only 15 percent of schools changed their schedules in order to assure that their students didn’t come to school half-asleep.

Do you see the correlation between students who get enough sleep and schools that start at or later than 8:30? Look more carefully: 85 percent of schools start before 8:30, and 85 percent of students don’t get enough sleep. Obviously, school starting later would impact students dramatically.

It is 1:00 a.m, and you just completed all your assignments. You crash on your bed and instantly fall into a deep slumber.

While you are asleep, you are growing. Almost like a battery recharging, your brain and body are getting reenergized. According to the National Sleep Foundation, without sleep, our bodies don’t have time for “muscle repair, memory consolidation and release of hormones regulating growth and appetite. Then we wake up less prepared to concentrate, make decisions, or engage fully in school and social activities.”

Considering that our bodies are supposed to wake up when the sun comes up (and not while its still dark outside), and the fact that human brains aren’t fully focused until 10 a.m., I strongly believe that school should start later. Sleep is something students can’t live without, and when we miss it, we can’t it get back. School should not be interrupting a mandatory phase in growing and learning.

While I personally believe that school starting later would have nothing but positive effects, some students believe that there are reasons why school starts so early.

“I think that middle and high school should start early because it prepares [the students] for when [they] have a job, and it teaches time management skills,” freshman Rabia Khan said.

School starting later would impact time for sports and after-school activities. However, getting more sleep would fuel your body with the energy needed to succeed in those sports and activities.

It is proven that more sleep will lead to a more alert, responsive brain. Why not give it a try? Allowing students a few extra hours of sleep each night could prove highly beneficial.