Do you feel yourself falling asleep halfway through that first period class in the morning? On top of that, do you find yourself struggling to keep awake for the rest of the school day? If so, I have news for you that will change your thinking. The answer is that it is not you, it is not the subject per se, but rather the morning bells of school; the fact is that they are ringing too early and interfering with the body’s circadian rhythm.

According to the University of Kentucky in Lexington, after doing numerous comprehensive studies of high school students, those who began class at 7:30 a.m. reported sleeping in class, mood swings, and fatigue so great that it was compared to having jet lag. However, when classes were pushed back one hour to 8:30 a.m., students reported being more awake, focused, interested, having fewer mood swings, leading to a better mood overall, and even getting sick less often. The scientific reasoning behind this suggests that the morning bell interferes with the circadian rhythm of the human body, leading to those symptoms that make a student feel even more sleep-deprived. By pushing the school starting times back for only one hour to 8:30 a.m., the amount of students getting at least eight hours of sleep jumped from 35 percent to 50 percent. However, it is very hard for teens to fall asleep before 11 p.m., as it takes until about 11 p.m. for the average teen to get that surge of melatonin, the natural feel-good hormone that induces sleep. Therefore, teens may not be able to control their school starting times, but they may be able to control a few other things that may help them receive that eight to 10 hours of sleep per night that they need. Here are a few tips recommended by the University of Kentucky Study:

1. Remove all electronics from the bedroom. This includes televisions, computers, cell phones, iPods, stereos, and more. Studies show that these electronics act as distractions that could keep teens awake. Also, many of these electronics emit “blue light,” which trick the brain into thinking that it is time to be awake!

2. Organize your room. Studies reveal that your brain can act just as cluttered as your room depending on the level of disorganization of the room. Therefore, take a couple hours and organize. Not only will this help your brain perceive everything much clearer, thereby reducing stress; but also cleaning and organizing will increase physical fatigue, making you more apt to fall asleep later.

3. Make scents a priority! Studies show that those who have smelled a dim, but fresh inviting scent before going to bed fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer, and even have better dreams. Therefore, take a sniff of lavender or lemon before heading to bed.

Therefore, try some of these tips. They may very well move you towards acquiring a better, more peaceful night sleep. And if you can, try to beat that morning drag to school. By sleeping better and more efficiently, morning drags will be only a thing of the past!