Sleep experts: Multiple studies suggest that the start of the high school year should be delayed.

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Many students struggle to wake up early for school, and research over the past few decades has shown that this is because school starts too early. However, substantial evidence suggests that delaying school start times can not only allow students to get enough sleep but also improve their academic performance.[/announcement_box][vc_empty_space height=”50px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Many people have had the experience of "not wanting to get up for class". Schools and teachers often believe that students are not getting enough sleep because they sleep too late, and that they will not feel tired in the morning if they sleep more.

However, scientific research on sleep habits among young people does not support the above view.

The National Sleep Foundation's website has information about...Youth and SleepThe content clearly points out that our sleep time is delayed during adolescence, so it is perfectly normal for young people to be awake until 11 pm. Moreover, young people need to sleep 8-10 hours every night, but most of them do not get enough sleep, which affects their learning ability, health, and mood.

Two years ago, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan also...TwitterThe article calls for young people to "sleep more and start school later." This was published in the journal *Learning, Media and Technology* in August of this year.An article(Available for free online reading) This book reviews important research on puberty and sleep over the past 30 years, citing Arne Duncan's appeal and providing scientific support.

 

Biological clock and school clock
Of the four authors, three are sleep experts, and the remaining one is a scholar who analyzes social science statistics. They first point out that the biological clock is not necessarily synchronized with the overall social timetable. However, since the clock (relative to its long evolutionary history) is a relatively new invention, our bodily functions—including learning abilities—are adjusted according to the biological clock rather than the school timetable.

In the early years of schooling, these two clocks are relatively synchronized, and slight differences don't have a significant impact. However, as students grow older, especially in late adolescence during high school, the effects become more pronounced. Students at this age have both delayed bedtimes and wake-up times; asking them to get up at 7 a.m. is like asking a 50-year-old teacher to get up at 4:30 a.m.

Under the current education system, school hours are not adjusted according to the biological clock of young people, and the long-term accumulation of sleep deprivation has a significant negative impact on students' health.

 

Does going to bed early and waking up early equal being disciplined?
Unfortunately, most people in the education sector are unaware of the downsides of starting school too early, generally believing that students are tired because they don't want to sleep or are too lazy to get out of bed. Moreover, many teachers believe that adolescents perform best in the morning and can concentrate better if they go to bed early.

This belief is very common; proverbs such as "the early bird catches the worm" reflect this "traditional wisdom." The misconception behind it is that teenagers need to be trained to have the "good habit" of going to bed early and waking up early. In fact, adults need to understand that young people's sleep patterns undergo significant changes during adolescence.

Other studies have found that some people are so-called "night animals" (the term "evening type" is used in the text), and they are the most affected group in education systems that require early rising. Studies have shown that they have poorer academic performance, need to use more stimulants such as coffee, soda, and nicotine, and may even have increased mental and health risks.

The author argues that aligning school hours with the biological clocks of teenagers is a simple and direct solution to the widespread problem of sleep deprivation among high school students. Extensive research data indicates that, according to their natural biological clocks, 10-year-olds wake up at 6:30 AM, therefore schools should begin classes between 8:30 and 9:00 AM; 16-year-olds wake up at 8:00 AM, so their school start time should be between 10:00 and 10:30 AM; and 18-year-olds wake up at 9:00 AM, so their school start time should be later, between 11:00 and 11:30 AM.

Delaying school start time is beneficial for students
To date, the vast majority of studies on delaying school start times have involved students arriving before 9 a.m., failing to reflect the effectiveness of the aforementioned suggestion (starting school after 10 a.m.). However, even slight delays in school start times have shown benefits for students, leading many scholars to support delaying school start times.

In one city in Minnesota, the start time for all high schools was extended from 7:15 a.m. to 8:40 a.m., affecting 50,000 students. Three other states subsequently experimented with the same approach. The results showed that students generally approved of the change and slept longer than students in other areas. More importantly, these students experienced improvements in attendance, academic performance, behavior, and mood. Furthermore, parents of 92% students also supported the delayed start time, believing their children became easier to get along with and that there was more time for communication.

In its conclusion, the author points out that research on delayed school start times consistently shows improvements in students' sleep quality, health, and learning. Conversely, there is currently no research to support the claim that waking up earlier for school will benefit students' sleep, health, and learning.

Based on the aforementioned research evidence and the ease of implementing delayed school start times, the author believes that this policy will bring immediate and significant benefits and is worthy of support.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]