A 25-Minute Delay in School Start Time May Help Teens

It extended sleep duration and improved daytime mood.

Chronic sleep deficit in adolescents has been associated with crashes related to drowsy driving; obesity; cardiovascular disease; and impaired mood, attention, memory, and executive function. Inadequate sleep has also been associated with worse academic performance and decreased motivation to learn. Early start times in school may contribute to sleep deprivation. By studying a modest change to school start time in a coeducational boarding high school, these researchers eliminated environmental variables that could affect sleep (e.g., morning and evening routines, sleeping environments, and afterschool employment).

During the winter semester, the usual school start time of 8:00 am was experimentally delayed 25 minutes. Before and during the w…

Reviewing Author

Martin T. Stein, MD

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory boardPearson Neuroscience Advisory Board

Speaker’s bureauAmerican Academy of Pediatrics

RoyaltiesElsevier, Inc.

Editorial boardsJournal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics