We are facing an epidemic of sleep deprivation among America's teenagers. This phenomenon is the result of a "perfect storm" of conditions. The first of these is a biological propensity to later bedtimes and waketimes as children enter puberty, which occurs on average at age 11 for girls, and age 13 for boys. Second, combined with this tendency for later bedtimes is the fact that the majority of high schools nationally and locally have bell times which are earliest for high schools and middle schools. This results in a decrease in sleep opportunity, so that the majority of teens obtain fewer hours of sleep than needed, with inadequate attempts to make up for many hours of lost sleep on weekends.
This chronic sleep deprivation has been linked with numerous adverse consequences on health, safety, and academic and physical performance. Sleep-deprived teens are more likely to report falling asleep in class, chronic daytime sleepiness, difficulty concentrating, headaches, stomach upset, more visits to the school nurse, emotional difficulties including anxiety, depression and suicidality, and drowsiness while driving. Teen sleep deprivation has been linked with increases in risk-taking behaviors (such as use of illicit substances, alcohol, and sexual indiscretion), tardiness, absenteeism, and lower performance on academic testing, as well as injuries during sports activities.
The single intervention that has the potential for the greatest benefit across large populations is to delay school start times for middle and high school children. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that middle and high schools start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. Delaying start times for adolescents has been supported by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, American Medical Association, National Sleep Foundation, and numerous other professional organizations. California recently passed legislation to mandate this change statewide. In addition, hundreds of districts across the country have delayed their start times, and a robust body of literature indicates that children in those districts experience numerous health, performance and safety benefits compared to districts with earlier start times. Some of these include reductions in sleepiness, headaches, upset stomach, tardiness, absenteeism, injuries and accidents, as well as improved scores on standardized tests and narrowing of the achievement gap. Locally, several school districts have undertaken the change, and others are considering it, based on the large body and growing evidence to support the change.
While additional buses may need to be purchased to allow for these later times, an economic analysis by the RAND corporation indicated that such expenditures are cost-effective, yielding returns on investment within just two years, through improved graduation rates and averted car accidents.
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