Beginning school later leads to better sleep habits

Beginning school later leads to better sleep habits


Can pushing back school start times lead to better sleep habits, increased alertness and overall better health for children? One recent study of a group of adolescent students in Singapore suggests the answer is yes.

The study looked at 375 students in grades 7 through 10 at an all-girls school in Singapore. During the nine-month study period, the school rolled back the daily start time by 45 minutes, from 7:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m.

Seeking to measure the short- and long-term effects of beginning class later in the morning, the researchers assessed the students’ length of sleep, their daytime sleepiness, any symptoms of depression and their general mood at the beginning of the project — and again at one month and nine months.

The adolescents averaged six-and-a-half hours of sleep a night. After one month of the later-start schedule, the students were going to bed, on average, nine minutes later, but they slept 32 minutes longer. Additionally, the number of students getting at least eight hours of sleep more than doubled, from 7 percent at the beginning to 16 percent at the nine-month mark.

In results published in the journal SLEEP, the researchers said it is feasible to start school later in East Asian countries — where students often face intense pressure to excel academically, even at the expense of a good night’s rest.

This builds on similar results from research conducted in Western countries and supports those advocating for new attitudes on sleep and school schedules. But even if the school system isn’t ready to change its starting times, parents should aim to get their children in bed earlier for a good night’s sleep. Everyone reaps the benefits.

Related Episodes