Starting classes later is good for teens’ health (and grades)

For around ten years, the American Academy of Pediatrics has protested the school schedules imposed on adolescents. Indeed, this public would suffer from a lack of sleep, particularly between 15 and 19 years old. A pediatrician interviewed by Le Figaro Student explains: “On average, adolescents need 9 to 10 hours of sleep per day, but they do not go to bed between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. Could the late bedtimes of our teenagers be the cause of this sleep deficit? According to scientists, there is nothing. Explanations.

Sleep between 8 and 10 hours at regular times

For optimal health,American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that adolescents aged 13 to 18 sleep between 8 and 10 hours per night and at a regular schedule; Figures show that around 69% of American high school students sleep less than 8 hours per night on the eve of a day of classes.

The academy also points out that due to a natural shift in circadian rhythm at puberty, most adolescents naturally prefer to go to bed later than during childhood, which conflicts with the generally early start time. of their courses.

Célia Levavasseur, pediatrician, interviewed by Le Figaro, student advances “At these ages it’s impossible to fall asleep before 11 p.m. because of puberty. Hormones delay falling asleep by two to three hours. In addition, teenagers are not very sensitive to cortisol (the hormone that stimulates waking up): “The older you get, the less effect it has on you. Waking up is therefore more complicated for adolescents.specifies the expert.

Starting high school later in the day has a positive impact

The results of a study, published in the journal Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine in 2016, show that a later start to the high school day can have several positive consequences for adolescents.

When their classes started up to an hour later than usual, they slept an average of 19 minutes more per night during the week, and when they started their day more than an hour later than usual, that figure achieved 53 minutes of additional sleep.

Starting later was also linked to a lower rate of traffic accidents, less sleepiness during the day, and a smaller gap between sleep duration during the week and on weekends.

Same story with the pediatrician who recommends different start times for classes depending on the age of the children. Thus, kindergarten and primary school students could enter class at 8 a.m., middle school students at 9 a.m., high school students at 9:30 a.m. and students at 10 a.m.

Less than a third of American high school students get enough sleep

The analysis of the data from these 18 studies also showed a possible link between the staggered time and the reduction of lateness and absenteeism, as well as a possible favorable consequence on the behavior of adolescents in high school.

Commenting on these findings, the study’s lead author, Timothy Morgenthaler, said: “A study (…) shows that 85.6% of American high schools start the day before 8:30 a.m., the earliest time recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. (…) The most recent national surveys show that less than a third of high school students get enough sleep. This is an important problem because poor quality sleep implies a risk to mental health, greater difficulty learning, greater risk of obesity, road accidents and even drug use.