Early to Rise Doesn't Make Teens Wise
June 8, 2005
By Daniel Vincent, Ivanhoe Web Correspondent
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- New research shows early high school start times deprive teenagers of sleep and force them to perform at a time whey they are academically at their worst.
Teenagers prefer to wake up and go to bed at later times than preadolescents and older adults. Researchers think that may be because of changes in their internal clocks. The current study examined 60 teenagers and found they lost up to two hours of sleep per night during the week after the start of the school year. On weekends, sleep time was 30 minutes longer than before they started school.
The students received diaries to record what times they went to bed and woke. With class starting at 8:05 a.m. and ending at 3:35 p.m., researchers observed an increase in inattentive behavior and sleepiness during the school day. The students took tests in this sleep-deprived state at several times throughout the day. Expectedly, students performed significantly better later on in the day than in the early morning. Even exposure to bright lights in the morning, to simulate natural sunlight, did not modify the students’ performance.
Researchers say the unusual weekday/weekend sleep patterns displayed by adolescents appear to be in-born and not an indication of lazy or antisocial behavior. The authors of the study admit more research into the subject is necessary, but they believe understanding teenage sleep cycles could lead to better family relationships.
SOURCE: Pediatrics, 2005;115:1555-1561
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