Experts suggest delaying school start times for teens
New guidelines provide that teenagers should start school later in the morning.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (ASSM) advises middle schools and high schools to start classes no earlier than 8:30 a.m., in order to offer teens the amount of sleep they need during the week.
Delaying the school day would bring many benefits, such as: reducing tardiness, improving attendance and promoting driving safety, according to CBS. Teens would also be more alert and ready to learn and absorb information, as the AASM explained.
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“Early school start times make it difficult for adolescents to get sufficient sleep on school nights, and chronic sleep loss among teens is associated with a host of problems, including poor school performance, increased depressive symptoms, and motor vehicle accidents,” guideline author and former AASM president Dr. Nathaniel Watson said in a news release from the group.
“Starting school at 8:30 a.m. or later gives teens a better opportunity to get the sufficient sleep they need to learn and function at their highest level,” he said.
The AASM recommends teens to get 10 hours of sleep a night, so that their general health and state of being are good. However, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that over two thirds of high-schoolers get a maximum of seven hours of sleep on school nights. The loss of sleep might lead to the following, according to the AASM:
- Worse school performance
- Weight gain
- Metabolic issues and poor heart health
- Depression and thoughts of suicide
- Risky behaviors
- Sports-related injuries
- Car accidents
The AASM made a list encompassing the benefits linked to later class start times. These are:
- Extra sleep
- Less daytime sleepiness
- Greater participation in school activities
- Fewer missed school days
- Reduced tardiness
- Fewer signs and symptoms of depression
- Reduced irritability
- Faster reaction time
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