Research suggests that school start times are too early for high school and university-age students, negatively impacting their mental capacity, intelligence, physical health, and overall well-being. During puberty, teenagers' circadian rhythms shift, making them more inclined to stay up later and sleep in later. However, early school start times force them to wake up at a time equivalent to 4 am for adults, leading to sleep deprivation.
This sleep deprivation can result in:
* Reduced cognitive skills and intelligence
* Increased risk of mental illness, such as depression and anxiety
* Higher risk of road traffic accidents
* Decreased life expectancy
In contrast, later start times (around 9 am) have been shown to:
* Improve attendance and grades
* Reduce behavioral and psychological problems
* Decrease substance and alcohol abuse
* Increase life expectancy
Experts recommend that schools consider adjusting their start times to accommodate the natural sleep patterns of teenagers, allowing them to get the sleep they need to thrive.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Infants spend most of their time in REM sleep before the age of one.
2. REM sleep helps build neural networks and connections in the brain.
3. After the age of one, there is a decline in REM sleep and a rise in deep non-REM sleep.
4. Non-REM sleep prunes and makes the brain more efficient and effective.
5. Non-REM sleep is linked to the development of critical thinking, reasoning, and cognitive skills.
6. Teens need more sleep than adults, typically 8-10 hours per night.
7. The circadian rhythm shifts during puberty, making teens more likely to stay up later and sleep in later.
8. The timing of sleep is important, not just the amount of sleep.
9. Teens' brains are still developing, and sleep deprivation can affect brain development and increase the risk of mental illness.
10. Later start times for school have been shown to increase class attendance, reduce behavioral and psychological problems, and decrease substance and alcohol abuse.
11. Longer sleep is directly correlated with better grades, higher IQs, and improved intellectual abilities.
12. A school in Minnesota that changed its start time from 7:25 am to 8:30 am saw a significant improvement in SAT scores.
13. REM sleep is also important for young adults, and deprivation can lead to anxiety, mood swings, and hallucinations.
14. Life expectancy has been shown to increase with later start times.
15. The number one cause of death in teens is road traffic accidents, which have been linked to sleep deprivation.
16. A county in Wyoming that changed its start time from 7:25 am to 8:55 am saw a 70% decrease in traffic accidents in the affected age group.
17. The prevailing socio-evolutionary theory is that the shift in circadian rhythms during adolescence allows teens to gain independence from their parents.
18. Only a century ago, most schools in America started around 9:00 am, and 95% of students woke up without an alarm.
19. Today, 80% of schools in the US begin before 8:15 am, and 50% start before 7:20 am.