Oh alarm clock. How you cause constant dread and anxiety to all. You’re punctual loud noises emanating throughout the room day after day.

No one likes waking up early. Even if you think you do, you probably just got used to it. But if there is one group of people who hate waking up from the sound of an alarm clock, it’s adolescents. Getting a teenager out of bed is not an easy task. Even the most motivated of adolescents don’t spring out of bed when the alarm clock chimes.

Teen athletes are some of the most driven individuals in the adolescent universe. They manage to balance school, sports, family, friends, and maybe even a part time job. How do these highly achieving kids do all this and manage to get enough sleep? Well, they don’t.

Teenagers require anywhere from eight to ten hours of sleep a night. You could make the argument that teen athletes need even more. Unfortunately, they’re sleeping less. There are a lot of contributing factors at work here. Some are glued to their smartphones when they should be sleeping. All teenagers have to fight against their natural circadian rhythms. An adolescent’s internal clock doesn’t really wind down until after 11pm. Others just don’t have enough time in the day. Practice, school, games, homework, it all adds up and time for sleep shrinks.

Coaches understand how much is on an athlete’s plate. Finding time to practice can be difficult. Especially at schools where there are a lot of sports teams competing for field or court space. The solution for this issue has been to have morning practices.

But are morning practices the best answer? Are they just as, or more, productive than afternoon practices? Or, are they less beneficial to an athlete’s growth? There’s also the argument that morning practices diminish precious hours of sleep from a teenager who is already getting less than the nightly suggested requirement.

There is no right or wrong answer here. Morning practices aren’t exclusively helpful or harmful to young athletes, but does one outweigh the other? You be the judge.

Pros

• Teaches time management – Morning practices necessitate the need for effective time management, something teens typically have trouble with. When you know that you have to wake up early, staying up late isn’t an option. Of course, adolescents still stay up later than they should at times. That may be because they need to do homework, or they just aren’t tired. But even keeping these reasons in mind, an early morning practice will motivate teens to finish what they need to do so they can go to bed at a reasonable hour.
• Develops work ethic – Sticking to a demanding schedule of morning practices requires mental fortitude and a proper work ethic. It’s no secret that sports can teach lessons and help develop healthy life skills. Morning practices are an extension of that.
• Mornings may be the only time to practice – the revolving door of school sports never stops. Every season brings with it a myriad of sports. Scheduling practice and organizing times can be tricky. Not every team can get field time in the afternoon. Sometimes teams will need to settle on morning practices. They help schedules run smoothly and allow every team to get in necessary practice time.
• Avoids hot weather – This reason is mainly for fall sports that begin practice in the summer like football, soccer, and cross country. Practicing in hot weather has its own set of challenges. Any team working in the afternoon will have to deal with playing during the hottest part of the day. Shifting to morning practices negates the concern for practicing in less than ideal weather conditions.

 

Cons

• May lead to sleep deprivation – As I previously mentioned, teenagers need a lot of sleep. More than adults and younger kids. Their bodies also have trouble falling asleep earlier. These facts don’t really mix well with early morning practices. Factor in everything else adolescents need to balance and it seems like there’s not enough time in the day. If a teen is continually sleeping for fewer hours than they require, it will take a toll on them.
• Decline in academics – Asking teenagers to practice in the morning and then go to school can be a bit unrealistic. Considering most young athletes aren’t sleeping as long as they should, and some have to attend practice before school, it’s not crazy to think that academics may suffer. Paying attention to teachers and fighting sleep in school can become common occurrences for many adolescents who practice in the morning.
• Increase in possible injuries and illnesses – “Lack of sleep can lead athletes to be more prone to illness and injury.” This quote was said by Michael Grandner, the director of the Sleep and Health Research Center at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson. Sleep allows our bodies to repair and recuperate from the day. Not getting enough of it can be detrimental to a teen athlete’s health. Even a teenager can only be on the go for so long. Eventually, their bodies need appropriate recovery time.
• Poor eating habits – Morning practices don’t necessarily lead to poor eating habits, but they can contribute to it. In the midst of a hectic morning, forgetting to eat or grabbing something quick and unhealthy are likely incidences. Proper nutrition is a cornerstone for a healthy athlete.

 

Morning practices have their positives and negatives. It’s a tough issue for teams and athletes to deal with. Ultimately, they have to do what’s best for them. If morning practices are the only feasible way to get in adequate practice time, so be it.

But consider this, early in 2017, multiple NCAA conferences voted against having practice and games during 9pm to 6am. Those conferences include the ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC. Professional sports teams also monitor their athletes’ sleeping habits. If the sleep schedules of college and pro athletes are being taken into serious consideration, why aren’t teenagers’?