Many schools across the U.S. are considering the efficacy of later starting times for junior high and high school populations, according to research conducted at the University of Minnesota and funded by the CDC.
The study surveyed data on over 9,000 high school students in five Wyoming school districts.
The researchers found that shifting start times to 8:30 or later allow for more than 60 percent of students to obtain at least eight hours of sleep per school night.
Students getting less than eight hours of sleep reported significantly higher depression symptoms, greater use of caffeine, and are at greater risk for making poor choices involving substance use.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has released new recommendations for school start times in line with the CDC's suggestion of 8:30 AM or later, noting that teens who don't sleep enough "often suffer physical and mental health problems, an increased risk of automobile accidents and decline in academic performance."
"Probably the ideal start time would be 9 o'clock," said Judith Owens, lead author of the AAP policy statement, told the Wall Street Journal.
For comments and feedback: editorial@rttnews.com