Start school later in the morning, sleepy teens tell school administrators

By Dave Jackson

A survey conducted at a high school in suburban Philadelphia, conducted by a team comprised of one of the school’s students and her father, a sleep specialist, to learn what sleep-deprived teens thought of starting school days later in the morning, as well as having tests given later in the school day which may result in better grades. The survey’s findings was presented at the American Thoracic Society 2007 International Conference, on May 20, 2007.

The survey of 280 high school students confirmed what most parents with a teenager know: the students are not getting enough sleep. More sleep would translate into improved academic performance, according to the teens questioned. They all attended Harriton High School in suburban Philadelphia, where the school day begins at 7:30 a.m. and ends at 2:25 p.m.

Richard Schwab, M.D., of the University of Pennsylvania, conducted the study with his daughter, Amanda, one of the sleep-deprived teens who attended Philadelphia-area high school.

When tabulating the results, a doctor/father and high school student daughter research team found that:

• 78 percent of students said it was difficult to get up in the morning;
• 16 percent said they regularly had enough sleep;
• 70 percent thought their grades would improve if they had more sleep;
• 90 percent thought their academic performance would improve if school were to start later.

Teens surveyed said they do not feel alert while taking tests during early morning periods and they do not think they can perform to the best of their ability during the early morning hours.

Most students said they thought the best time to take a test would be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. They thought they would perform better academically and that their grades would improve if they could sleep longer.

“I watched her get up early for four years, and saw how difficult it was,” Schwab said. “Teenagers need more sleep than adults and their circadian rhythms are phase-shifted so that their ideal bedtime is midnight to 1:00 a.m.; yet they have to get up at 6:30 a.m. or earlier for high school.”

While adults usually need seven to eight hours of sleep, teens need eight to nine hours, he says. In addition, teens go to bed much later — their biological clock often keeps them up until 1 a.m. or 2 a.m, Schwab noted.

Because they currently have to get up so early for school, many teens achieve only six-and-a-half to seven hours of sleep. For some teens, the Schwab noted, they get even fewer hours of sleep each night, which means they tend to sleep in on the weekends, often until 11 a.m. or later, trying to make up for their sleep deficit.

“Right now, high schools usually start earlier in the morning than elementary schools. But if school start times were based on sleep cycles, elementary schools should start at 7:30 a.m. and high schools at 8:30 a.m. or 8:45 a.m. Right now it’s the reverse,” Schwab said.

“School systems should be thinking about changing their start times. It would not be easy — they would have to change the busing system — but it would increase their students’ sleep time and likely improve (the students’ scholastic)  performance,” Schwab concluded.

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