When your teenager says he or she is way too sleepy to go to school, it might help to take the comments seriously from now on.

Researchers have found that teenage sleep deprivation is actually an issue, not just an excuse used by kids who don't want to go to school.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends later start times for high schools and middle schools to combat chronic sleepiness in adolescents, according to the LA Times.

The American Academy of Pediatrics reportedly declared in a policy statement today that chronic sleepiness of America's teenagers is a public health issue and to help fix the problem of teenage sleep deprivation, school should push back their start times 30 minutes to an hour to allow students to rest more.

"A substantial body of research has now demonstrated that delaying school start times is an effective countermeasure to chronic sleep loss. The American Academy of Pediatrics strongly supports the efforts of school districts to optimize sleep in students," stated the organization.

Teenager sleep deprivation is reportedly much more widespread than we think. 87% of high school students in the U.S. are getting less than the recommended 8.5 to 9.5 hours of sleep and high school seniors get less than 7 hours of sleep a night on average, according to the AAP.

When teens are not getting enough sleep, which damages their mental and physical health, education and even ability to drive safely, according to The Atlantic.

28% of high school students report falling asleep at school at least once a week, while 1 in 5 say they fall asleep doing homework.

Although the organization reportedly acknowledges the difficulty for schools to have later start times, they argue that it is worth the effort, according to the publication.

"When high school classes begin early in the morning, we ask teens to shine when their biological clock tells them to sleep," explained Timothy Morgenthaler, president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.