The children in Maine are being deprived of sleep. Teens are at the age when they need the most sleep and our schedules do not help us in getting the sleep we need. I think that we should switch schedules with the elementary students, giving us another 30 to 60 more minutes of sleep.

When teens are being deprived of sleep, their mood and overall performance decreases. Fifty-five percent of all car crashes in which drivers fall asleep involve people under age 26, according to National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md. Studies show that while fifth- and sixth-graders can be wide awake after nine hours of sleep, teenagers need 10 hours. Another research team says teens need at least nine hours and 15 minutes of sleep.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, the average teen’s bedtime is 11 p.m. or later, which does not give them enough time to get the sleep they need. In addition, high school children undergo a shift in their biological clock, which tells them when to rise and go to bed.

I believe we should convince the school boards to switch schedules with elementary school students or at least look for a solution to this problem.

Ryan Bushway, Auburn