Late start time at school benefits teens

Findings of a new study suggest that this extra half hour results in more attentiveness in class, better moods, less lethargy, less depression and even healthier breakfasts for the teens.

Deepest sleep around dawn
The study was conducted at the Rhode Island boarding school by Judith Owens, Katherine Belon, and Patricia Moss of Hasbro Children's Hospital.

"The results were stunning. There's no other word to use. We didn't think we'd get that much bang for the buck," noted Patricia Moss, academic dean at the boarding school.

The researchers aver that teens have a tendency to be in their deepest sleep around dawn, which is when they have to arise for school. Disrupting sleep at that point of time can leave them tired and groggy.

"The time that a school starts is felt to be sacrosanct by those who have come to rely on it as a predictable part of their day and life," Wahlstrom wrote in an editorial accompanying the study.

"There's biological science to this that I think provides compelling evidence as to why this makes sense," averred Judith Owens, lead author of the study.

The findings of the study add to the growing body of evidence that suggests delaying the start time for high schools would benefit adolescents.

For the purpose of the study, start time at the boarding school at RI was shifted from 8 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. for a period of two months.

In all, 201 high school students filled up their sleep habit surveys before and after the experiment.

The analysis revealed that after the implementation of the delayed time, mean duration of sleep on school nights increased by 45 minutes.

The percentage of students getting less than seven hours of sleep slumped by 79.4 percent and the percentage of students getting at least eight hours of sleep increased to 54.7 percent, up from the 16.4 percent prior to the start of the experiment.

"Daytime sleepiness, fatigue, and depressed mood were all reduced. Most health-related variables, including Health Center visits for fatigue-related complaints, and class attendance also improved," revealed the study.

Late start time resisted by community
The authors recommended a late start time in schools to capitalize on the potential benefits.

Kyla Wahlstrom, a PhD at the University of Minnesota in St. Paul, averred that schools were hesitant to change their start times notwithstanding the increasing confirmation of its benefits primarily due to the general resistance to change in the community.

"The time that a school starts is felt to be sacrosanct by those who have come to rely on it as a predictable part of their day and life," Wahlstrom wrote in an editorial accompanying the study.

"In a sense, the time that school starts is like a community norm. It predicts the rhythm of the day and the rhythms of personal and work schedules. This is true not only for teachers, parents, and children, but also community businesses and anyone else who gauges his or her life activities around school time," added Wahlstrom.

The findings of the study titled 'Impact of Delaying School Start Time on Adolescent Sleep, Mood, and Behavior' have been published in July's 'Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.'