Why Advocacy Matters

Sleep is personal—but it’s also systemic.
Teenagers don’t lose sleep simply because they make poor choices. Many of the biggest challenges—late-night homework, early school start times, academic pressure, constant screen exposure—are built into the environments students live in every day.

That’s why Better Sleep Initiatives doesn’t stop at education. We advocate for structural change—because real wellness can’t thrive without systems that support it.

Our advocacy efforts aim to:

• Promote policies that respect adolescent biology

• Encourage school communities to rethink how they schedule and support students

• Give teens the tools to become leaders in reshaping their environments

📚 Focus Areas of Our Advocacy

⏰ School Start Times

Research from the CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics confirms that early school start times are misaligned with teenage circadian rhythms. Our chapters push for more sleep-supportive policies by:

• Educating teachers and administrators on the science

• Hosting town halls and forums

• Collecting student sleep data to build local support

📝 Homework & Academic Load

Stress from excessive assignments and tight deadlines can damage sleep patterns. We work with students and educators to:

• Encourage policies that promote sleep-aware homework guidelines

• Push for balance between academic rigor and mental health

• Advocate for “wellness weeks” or lighter load periods during high-stress times

📱 Technology & Screen Time Education

While phones and laptops are essential tools, they also interrupt healthy sleep. We lead peer-to-peer campaigns and presentations that:

• Teach students how blue light affects melatonin

• Offer screen-free alternatives for winding down

• Create school-wide “screen-free after 9pm” challenges

💬 Mental Health & Sleep Awareness

Poor sleep doesn’t just make students tired—it contributes to anxiety, depression, and emotional dysregulation. We advocate for integrated wellness policies that include:

• Access to mental health support at school

• Sleep education in health and science classes

• Peer mentoring and open dialogue about rest and recovery

✊ What Advocacy Looks Like in Action

• Student-led presentations to school boards and PTAs

• Petitions for later start times or flexible homework loads

• Letter-writing campaigns with data-driven arguments

• Blog articles and op-eds written by students and shared in local news

• Collaborations with counselors and nurses to align school health messaging

• Data projects showing sleep patterns and academic performance correlations

🧠 Tools We Provide to Chapters

• Advocacy training guides

• Templates for letters, petitions, and school presentations

• Sleep survey and data visualization kits

• Evidence packets with peer-reviewed studies to support campaigns

• Peer story guides for sharing sleep struggles and solutions

🗣 How You Can Get Involved

✅ Start a campaign at your school or district
✅ Speak to your school board or PTA
✅ Share your story about sleep and stress
✅ Collect local data and present findings
✅ Organize a Sleep Awareness Week with your chapter