Teens Would Really Benefit From School That Starts Later

More and more school districts are pushing for a later start time for students and there’s a good reason for it. There’s a new study that suggests middle and high school students who start their school day after 9am are not only better rested, but perform better throughout the school day, too.

Researchers at the University of Washington studied high school students both before and after the start-time change. The authors behind the study believe that changing school starting times more could possibly help close the gap between different socioeconomic groups. It can also reduce the chances of students feeling tired during the day, and boost their overall health. Their findings appear in a study published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances.

So, what does this mean? Kids who enjoy more time at home in the mornings wake up more alert and ready to take on the day. What’s more, they are also better refreshed, focused and less moody than their peers who get less sleep at night.

"All of the studies of adolescent sleep patterns in the United States are showing that the time at which teens generally fall asleep is biologically determined – but the time at which they wake up is socially determined," says one of the researchers, Gideon Dunster from the University of Washington.’

In addition, the study also proved that a lack of sleep can be very detrimental for a teen’s health. After all, the only way that a body can repair itself from the day before is if it gets enough rest at night.

Gideon Dunster added, "This has severe consequences for health and well-being, because disrupted circadian rhythms can adversely affect digestion, heart rate, body temperature, immune system function, attention span and mental health."

Some school districts have already made the shift by allowing their students to enjoy an extra hour of shut eye in the mornings before the first bell. In Seattle, the district moved the official start times for middle and high schools nearly an hour later, from 7:50 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. While many students performed better academically, the only downside was that their extracurricular activities and bus routes had to be rescheduled. For some families, the extra hour makes a huge difference in the mornings. But at the same time, it also meant a later start time for basketball or swimming practice and much later dinners and meals in the evening.

While there are plenty of pros and cons to a later start time for the school day, one thing is for certain: everyone needs their sleep. The study further indicated that school districts that start their days later helped boost the total amount of sleep that teens now get from 6 hours and 50 minutes to 7 hours and 24 minutes instead.