Nigel Fortes is turning 14 in 3 months and his bedtime is still 8:00PM. My bedtime was never 8, in fact, in kindergarten my bedtime was 9. Most kids our age go to bed from the times 10-11PM. Personal studies among peers have proven that going to bed too early can in fact cause more damage than good. To prove my point, Nigel frequently wakes up in the middle of the night due to going to bed too early. Everybody who goes to bed from the times 10-11 PM have good grades while also balancing a good social life.

Going to bed slightly later but still at a decent time also helps the serotonin levels. Being able to destress after a long day (like going to school and dealing with misbehaving kids and then doing schoolwork at home) can help the brain feel better. If someone goes home after doing schoolwork to do more schoolwork and then only has 1 hour to destress, that can make them more stressed. For a teenager, calming down is one of the most important parts of our day. Being stressed can lead to depression, anxiety, and low grades.

To conclude, I and many of Nigel’s peers all believe that he should have a later bed time to benefit him, his future, his current life, and our lives. We all enjoy talking to Nigel and want the best for him and wish we could talk to him more since we all know how stressful his team is and how much he loves a break from all the stress of a weekday.