For many students, the morning alarm comes much sooner than they anticipate, with studies showing teenagers are not getting enough sleep to function properly both in and out of the classroom.

To combat the issue of sleepy students, both the Butler and Seneca Valley school districts have begun mulling a shift to later start times.

“I can tell you the pros of starting school later to help this issue far outweigh the cons,” Tracy Vitale, Seneca Valley School District superintendent, said earlier this month.

District officials are considering the results of several studies in their decision, including one by the National Sleep Foundation warning that teenagers need much more sleep than they typically get.

“Although society often views sleep as a luxury that ambitious or active people cannot afford, research shows that getting enough sleep is a biological necessity, as important to good health as eating well or exercising,” the foundation wrote. “Teens are among those least likely to get enough sleep”

Dr. Shripal Shrishrimal, medical director for pulmonary medicine, sleep medicine and respiratory therapy at the Butler Health System, agrees, emphasizing the importance of sleep on adolescent bodies and brains.

“From 13 to 18 (years old), they should have at least eight to 10 hours of sleep,” he said, “There may be teenagers who say, 'I only need four hours of sleep,' and that's not right.”