Based on what you know about circadian rhythms and sleep of adolescents, convince your local

school committee why the starting and ending times of the high school in your town should begin
later and end later.

What will be an ideal response?

Suprachiasmatic nucleus is a structure in the brain whose job it is to regulate or circadian
rhythms. Once puberty is initiated, the SCN releases melatonin, a substance that causes us to sleep,
later in the day than younger children or even adults. So teens tend to stay up later at night, struggling
to get up in the morning and to get to school on time. Social factors also play a role with many teens
staying up till early morning texting, watching movies or surfing the internet. Those teens who go to
school after what amounts to a brief nap have lesser concentration, difficulty consolidating
information into memory, and for girls, even menstrual cycles may be disrupted. Adjusting school
times to reflect both the biology and culture ofadolescents may in fact raise their grades.