Letting kids sleep in could save U.S. $9 billion a year, study finds

Letting kids sleep in could save U.S. $9 billion a year, study finds

Shelby Lin Erdman, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Atlanta Journal Constitution
Sept. 4, 2017

 

Starting school no earlier than 8:30 a.m. could not only save the U.S. $9 billion every year, it might also lead to improved educational achievement and fewer traffic accidents among tired teenagers.

Those are a couple of conclusions from an extensive Rand Corporation study on delaying school start times.

The research suggests that a later school start time could result in economic increases in a relatively short period of time after the change with an $83 billion fiscal impact after a decade.

“The significant economic benefits from simply delaying school start times to 8.30 a.m. would be felt in a matter of years, making this a win-win, both in terms of benefiting the public health of adolescents and doing so in a cost-effective manner,” study co-author Wendy Troxel said in a press release.

The argument against making a change in school start times,for example, includes a loss in money and increased costs of transportation changes, like rescheduling bus routes.

Researchers also said that they used a conservative approach and did not include other problems from too little sleep among children, including  higher suicide rates, increased obesity and mental health issues, concluding that “the reported economic benefits from delaying school start times could be even higher across many U.S. states.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also supports staring school later

“Not getting enough sleep is common among high school students and is associated with several health risks including being overweight, drinking alcohol, smoking tobacco, and using drugs, as well as poor academic performance, “ according to the CDC.

 

And one of the reasons children don’t get enough sleep is early school start times, CDC officials said.

The American Academy of Pediatrics said that most teenagers start school too early and also recommends middle and high school students start school at 8:30 a.m. or later.

High school and college classes should start later

Down With 8 A.M. Classes: Undergrads Learn Better Later In The Day, Study Finds
April 19, 2017
Sara Sarwar
NPR

" College classes start too early in the morning for students' brains.

"While most colleges have start times of around 8 a.m., Jonathan Kelley advises NPR Ed that the ideal start time would be more like 10 or 11 a.m. The reason: People fall into different "chronotypes," which people know as "early birds" and "night owls." In this sample, night owls outnumbered early birds by far. The reasons for this are biological, says Evans.

"

Students Aren't Getting Enough Sleep—School Starts Too Early

Administrators and teachers frequently benefit themselves at the cost of students. Doctors and researchers have found that too-early start times are harming the health--and the test scores--of middle and high school students. Why don't parents demand a change? It should be an issue in school board elections.

Long-term deprivation has also been shown to be a factor in lower test scores, decreased attention span, tardiness, concentration, and overall academic achievement...
--The Atlantic

Students Aren't Getting Enough Sleep—School Starts Too Early

A new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics says delaying the day may help teens get more rest.

Jessica Lahey  

The Atlantic

Aug 25 2014

 

9
inSh..The median school start time in this country is 8 a.m. But this fall, some schools, including a handful of elementary schools in New York City, will ring their first bell up to 40 minutes earlier than they did last year in order to accommodate curricular demands.

These early school start times result in sleepy kids and frustrated parents. But, as of Monday, those kids and parents have the formidable weight of the American Academy of Pediatrics on their side.

The organization released a new policy statement saying that “insufficient sleep in adolescents [is] an important public health issue that significantly affects the health and safety, as well as the academic success, of our nation’s middle and high school students.”

“The empirical evidence [of] the negative repercussions of chronic sleep loss on health, safety and performance in adolescents … has been steadily mounting for over the past decade,” wrote Judith Owens, a pediatrician and the lead author of the report, in an email. “For example, an important recent study published this spring by Dr. Kayla Wahlstrom documented the positive effects of school start time delay in over 9000 students from eight high schools in three states, including improved grades and standardized test scores and up to a 65 to 70 percent reduction in teen car accidents.”

Chronic sleep loss contributes to higher rates of depression, suicidal ideation, and obesity.

 

According to the Academy, the solution is to delay school start times. “In most districts, middle and high-schools should aim for a starting time of no earlier than 8:30 a.m. However, individual school districts also need to take average commuting times and other exigencies into account in setting a start time that allows for adequate sleep opportunity for students,” it said in a statement.
The organization also published a report that summarizes the current research on teen sleep trends, health consequences of chronic sleep deficits, factors that contribute to lost sleep, and ways to promote healthy rest in adolescents. The main take-away is that American teens are not getting enough sleep, which damages their mental and physical health, education, and even ability to drive safely.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, teenagers need at least nine and a half hours of sleep every night. However, the National Sleep Foundation’s 2014 Sleep in America Poll reports that less than half of American children get at least nine hours of sleep each night, and 58 percent of 15- to 17-year-olds regularly sleep fewer than seven hours each night. Since poll respondents tend to overestimate the number of hours they sleep, actual nightly sleep totals are likely lower than these self-reported averages.

Chronic sleep loss contributes to higher rates of depression, suicidal ideation, and obesity. Long-term deprivation has also been shown to be a factor in lower test scores, decreased attention span, tardiness, concentration, and overall academic achievement...

High schools are finally starting later to match teen melatonin levels

No wonder teens are so drowsy they need more zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...
By Marissa Cevallos
mcevallos@mercurynews.com
02/04/2010 T

When Glorianna Klyce's radio blasts hip-hop at 5:45 a.m., the 17-year-old rolls over and hits snooze. If it weren't for the second alarm clock that goes off at 6, she might have a much harder time getting to Kennedy High School in Fremont for the 7:35 a.m. first block bell...

She's not the only 17-year-old struggling to get to class. Emerging research shows that puberty upends sleep cycles, making snoozing into the late morning hours as natural for teens as hairy armpits and embarrassing voice squeaks. When teens hit puberty, their internal circadian clocks wind forward 1 to 3 hours, meaning they need 9 hours of sleep on average, a couple more hours than their younger siblings.

Now a growing number of schools are pushing back the morning bell so class times and students' energy are better aligned...