Are you more of a night or morning person?
I prefer to stay up late and sleep in (when I can). I am a “night owl.”
That is at least partly because I have adult ADHD. Although being a night owl is not an official part of the diagnostic criteria for ADHD, people with this disorder tend to be night owls.
I have not been a teenager for a very long time, but my being a night owl is something I share with them. The internal rhythm in teens usually involves staying up late and being sleepy in the early AM.
That is why it is a challenge for teens to adhere to the standard school start time. Ideally, teens would start school later in the morning.
There are two practical problems with doing this. The first is that the school day would end later so there would be less time for after school activities.
The second problem is that the same school buses pick up all 3 age groups of kids, one group at a time. The high school kids are picked up first as it is safer for them to be out waiting for the bus when it may still be dark.
Then, the middle school kids are picked up, followed by grade school kids. In short, the same buses go the same route 3 times each school day. At least, that is what I have heard.
There does not appear to be an easy solution to this problem so teens (high school age) end up getting up early to get on a school bus Alas, that is not optimal for them based on their internal rhythm (circadian rhythm).
Peter M. Hartmann, MD
Family Medicine & Psychiatry
