Having trouble getting your teenager to get up and prepare for school in the morning? There is a reason why that it happening – and it isn’t entirely your teen’s fault. Some of it has to do with developmental biology. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is recommending that the start time of the school day be later for middle schools and high schools. The purpose is to combat sleep deprivation in teens.
The AAP published a new policy statement in August of 2014. They are recommending that schools delay the start time of class until 8:30 in the morning (or later). This is recommended for both middle schools (also called junior high schools) and for high schools.
Teens have a natural sleep cycle that makes it hard for them to fall asleep before 11:00 at night. That makes it really hard for teens who have a first-period class that starts at 7:30 in the morning (or earlier) to get there on time. Students who are suffering from lack of sleep will have more difficulty learning and retaining information.
The AAP points out that adolescent’s sleep-wake cycles start to shift up to two hours later at the start of puberty. They aren’t making a conscious choice to have an altered sleep cycle. It is something that happens naturally and is due to biology. Moving the start time of the school day to 8:30 or later will help because it will fit better with the adolescent sleep cycle.
The recommendation to shift the start of the school day to later is not just to make life easier for teens. It also has to do with public safety. Studies show that teens who don’t get enough sleep are at an increased risk of being involved in an automobile accident. Think for a moment about the number of teens who drive themselves to school in the morning. Their lack of sleep could endanger everyone else who is on the road.
Pediatrician Judith Owens, MD, FAAP, is the lead author of the policy statement “School Start Times for Adolescents” which was published in the September 2014 issue of Pediatrics. She notes that chronic sleep loss in children and adolescents is “one of the most common – and easily fixable – public health issues in the U.S. today”.
Teens who get enough sleep have a reduced risk of being overweight or suffering depression. They are less likely to get into an automobile accident. They are more likely to have better grades, higher standardized test scores, and a better overall quality of life.
Image by Planetchopstick on Flickr.
Related Articles:
* Reajusting Teen’s Sleep for the Start of School
* Teen Sleep Deprivation Study
* Why Won’t My Teens Go to Sleep?