Adolescents are not getting enough sleep these days (CDC, 2018). One contributor that has come under scrutiny recently is school start time because many experts believe school starts too early.
In order to get the sleep they need, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that middle school and high school students start school at 8:30 a.m. or later, but currently over 75% of schools start before 8:30 a.m. (CDC, 2018). Adolescents should be sleeping 8 to 10 hours per night. Those that don't get enough sleep are more prone to obesity, depression, alcohol and drug use, smoking, and poor performance in school.
A challenge for adolescents is that, as their bodies change, their biological clocks also reset. This makes it difficult for them to get to sleep early (Woolfolk, 2019, p. 40). So the real issue seems to be how late they can sleep in, not getting to bed earlier.
Early indicators show improved academic performance when students get more sleep (Neighmond, 2018). However, data is limited and schools have been slow to take on the challenge of changing their schedules. In the meantime, educators, parents, and students are encouraged to research late start initiatives and start the discussion at their schools about how providing time for more sleep can improve student performance and health.
Articles on Late Start Benefits:
References:
CDC. (2018). Schools start too early. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/features/school-start-times/index.html.
Neighmond, P. (2018). Sleepless no more in Seattle: Later school start time pays off for teens. NPR. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/12/12/676118782/sleepless-no-more-in-seattle-later-school-start-time-pays-off-for-teens.
Woolfolk, A. (2019). Educational Psychology (14th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson.
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