A recent article in the Scientific American reviewed research about effects of school start time on academic achievement. It probably comes as no surprise to parents of teens, that starting in adolescence, children have “delayed sleep phase” where they start sleep later and sleep later in the morning. In addition, for optimal functioning, teenagers should sleep at least 9 hours a night. A study conducted in Rhode Island High Schools examined the effects of starting school at 8:00 to 8:30. The participants (high school students) completed a sleep habits survey both before and after the delayed school start. The results indicated that the students who got at least 8 hours sleep of increased from 16 % before the delayed start to 55% after the delayed start. In addition, a number of other benefits were apparent:
1) Class attendance improved
2) Fewer visits to the health center for fatigue related symptoms
3) Student self reports of unhappiness, depression, annoyance and depression decreased significantly
