For many young people, getting that much sleep is difficult especially during the school year. Students would have to go to bed by 9 p.m. in order to get enough sleep, but most of them don't make it to bed until much later. A survey of Rhode Island teens showed that they averaged 7.3 hours of sleep on school nights about two hours less than they really need and that one-third of the students slept 6.5 hours per night or less. Lack of Sleep Is a Serious Hazard Insufficient sleep can have serious consequences for young people. It impairs their mood, memory, and ability to pay attention, and it puts them at risk for accidents.
Research also shows that teens who get less sleep earn lower grades in school.
For some students, both poor grades and lack of sleep may be due to other factors, such as spending too many hours working at an after-school job. A few school systems have responded to the research on adolescent sleep needs by modifying their bell times. Three years after the change, Edina school Superintendent Kenneth Dragseth reported that its effects were overwhelmingly positive. Students earned better grades, and they were more alert and attentive in class. Teachers, parents and students all liked the change.