Starting School Half an Hour Later Helps a Teen’s Mood

Children can benefit from school starting just a half hour later than normal according to the findings of a new study. Adolescents need their sleep in order to be at their best mentally and physically. Some schools across the country have begun starting school after 8 a.m., but many still hold to an 8 a.m. or earlier start time.

The study was led by Judith Owens, director in the pediatric sleep clinic at Hasbro Children’s Hospital. Dr. Owens explains the sleep cycle that many middle and high school children establish is similar to that of a very young child. Depending on a student’s homework load and extra curricular activities, his/her bedtime is typically pushed later and later. Unfortunately, the later bedtime does not mean the child gets to sleep in any later. She states the average teenager needs at least nine hours of sleep every night.

To test this theory, Dr. Owens conducted a sleep study at a private co-ed boarding school. The school delayed their start time by half an hour. 200 students agreed to participate in the study. Dr. Owens found that once the new start time was enforced, the students reported getting up half an hour later, and increased their average night’s rest to nearly eight hours. The students were also less likely to be irritated, depressed or frustrated throughout the day. The number of students reporting late to class due to oversleeping dropped nearly in half.

The study is published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.