America s Sleep Crisis: New Study Shows Effects Of Teens Starting School Later
04/15/21 AT 5:37 PM
New research has found that there are benefits to moving the start of school later in the morning. Amid growing concerns about sleep deprivation, a survey from the journal Sleep, supported the significant benefits of delaying [middle school] and [high school] start times on student sleep and daytime sleepiness.
A two-year survey of about 28,000 students at Denver s Cherry Creek School District found that the later start times resulted in high school students seeing sufficient sleep duration significantly increased and clinically significant daytime sleepiness decreased.
In February, Sleepfoundation.org found that nearly 60% of middle schoolers do not get enough sleep on school nights and over 70% of high schoolers don t get enough sleep. It also noted that both the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that both middle a
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Photo: (Photo : Ashley Byrd / Unsplash)
Teen sleep deprivation may be caused by a natural shift in circadian rhythm, making it harder for them to sleep before 11 pm, Laura Sterni, M.D. noted. Add to that increased school workload, extracurriculars, and perhaps even a part-time job, lack of sleep among teenagers is becoming more common.
In fact, about 70% of American teenagers struggle with borderline to severe sleep debt, Childmind revealed.
Teenage Sleep Deprivation and Adult Depression
Unfortunately, a lack of sleep in one s teenage years can impact one s current mental health, and in later life, BBC reported. Teens who have problems with sleeping raise the risk of having mental health problems later. Prioritizing sleep in teenagers may lower the risk of depression later.