School day ‘too early’ for US teens
Print Edition
MOST teenagers in the United States start the school day too early each morning, robbing them of the sleep they need to concentrate properly and remain healthy, according to a study published on Thursday.
Fewer than one in five middle and high schools in the United States start at 8:30am or later, as recommended, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Research from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has found that adolescents are biologically programmed to stay asleep longer than adults.
Depriving teens of that sleep could wreak havoc on their academic performance, the CDC said in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
“Getting enough sleep is important for students’ health, safety and academic performance,” said Anne Wheaton, lead author and epidemiologist in CDC’s Division of Population Health.
“Early school start times, however, are preventing many adolescents from getting the sleep they need.”
In 2014, the AAP urged secondary schools not to begin classes until 8:30am to give teens the 8.5 to 9.5 hours of nightly sleep they need.
But only 17.7 percent of US high schools actually start at the recommended hour.
The effects are not limited to academic performance, and researchers warned students may also suffer outside the classroom.
“Insufficient sleep is common among high school students and is associated with health risks such as being overweight, drinking alcohol, smoking and using drugs,” the CDC study found.
Parents have urged schools to delay start times, but administrators often argue that after-school activities would be too hard to organize.
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