IN THE NEWS
The Case for Later School Start Times Why starting school later is healthier for our teens. By Robin M. Lloyd, MD
B
y helping the next generation maximize their potential, decrease risk-taking behaviors, improve driver safety and improve quality of life, adjusting school start times can have a positive effect on an entire society. I became interested in later school start times when I realized what a positive impact a change like this could have on our society. The majority of press on the topic of pushing school start times later involves adolescents. Current research on early school start times shows that there is a correlation with insufficient sleep opportunity resulting in chronic sleep deprivation. There are biological and lifestyle issues that are at the root of the issue. Biologically, there is a natural delay in sleep phase during adolescence. Additionally, the process S, or homeostatic sleep drive, is slower to accumulate so the natural sleep onset for teens is usually around 11pm on average. Lifestyle factors related to technology use, homework demands, extracurricular activities such as sports and clubs, work, social activities, etc. also impact the amount of sleep a teen is able to get.
28 | May/June 2021
If left unchecked, chronic sleep deprivation may lead to a level of sleepiness consistent with sleep disorders such as narcolepsy. A National Sleep Foundation poll found that almost 90% of high school students were getting less than the recommended amount of sleep, with high school seniors typically getting less than 7 hours of sleep on school nights. Sleep experts agree that adolescents aged 12-18 years should be sleeping 8 to 10 hours. INSUFFICIENT SLEEP HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH: • Lower academic performance • Higher absentee and tardiness rates • Mood difficulties • Inattention • Memory impairments • Decreased quality of life • Drowsy driving crashes • Abuse of stimulants • Increased long-term cardiometabolic risks • Obesity
