In the United States, the state of California recently changed state law regarding what time schools can start in the morning. The bill the governor signed into law specifically mentions the issue of sleep deprivation among middle school and high school students. With 73 percent of teens routinely not getting the recommended amount of sleep, the issue of later school start times is a serious matter, impacting health, school performance and mental well-being.

According to the new law, middle schools can start the day no earlier than 8:00 a.m., with high school students starting their school day a bit later, no earlier than 8:30 a.m. California isn’t the only place making moves to adjust school hours. However, not all students are pleased by the later school start times.

Later School Start Times Impact Transportation, Activity Scheduling

While some students are happy to have the extra sleep, there are others that are not so pleased with the necessary corollary to starting school later – ending school later in the afternoon. Students report that getting out of school later makes it more difficult to participate in all of the extra-curricular activities that they’d like to.

Time management becomes tricky for some as they try to fit homework into afternoons and evenings with less time. Another issue mentioned by students is transportation, particularly among those whose parents take them to school on their way to work. The student’s school hours may have changed, but their parents’ work hours did not. For some, that means they get dropped off early for school or find another way to get there.

What the Experts Say

School and government officials, for the most part, aren’t just randomly changing school hours or doing so for their own convenience. It is well established that sleep, both amount and quality, is tightly connected to health, cognitive performance — including memory and learning — and mental well-being. Citing the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that teenagers get 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night. Adolescent circadian rhythms tend to skew later than children and adults, meaning that their natural rhythm on average is to go to sleep later and wake up later.

Earlier school hours are strongly at odds with what appears to be the natural teenage circadian rhythm, leading even the CDC to express concern that school start times are too early in most parts of the country. Shifting high school starting times later, according to the results of a study done by University of Washington and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies researchers, yields more sleep and better grades. The results of the study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Science Advances, showed that starting school 55 minutes later resulted in 34 minutes more sleep per school night and a 4.5 percent increase in the final grades of the year.

Not Every Expert Agrees

Information and science evolve and not all experts see things in the same way. Researchers specializing in chronobiology, the study of biological rhythms, compared European teenagers living the typical, modern Western lives to African teenagers living hunter-gather lifestyles, spending much of their daily time outside. They found that the European teens fit the later circadian rhythm model common to the average modern teen, but the hunter-gather teens did not. Instead, those teens’ natural rhythm seemed to be to go to sleep early and rise at dawn.

The researchers suggest that the later circadian rhythm of teens living the typical modern life may not be a natural rhythm as much as it may be a sign that during adolescence, the circadian rhythm may be more vulnerable to disruption by light, activities and other lifestyle-related factors impacting the circadian rhythm.

Lifestyle is Worthy of Consideration

Getting enough good quality sleep is essential to health in both the short-term and the long-term. In other words, the sleep choices and sleep habits developed in youth can impact a person throughout their lives. Insufficient, poor-quality sleep is associated with a higher risk of numerous diseases, including obesity, type two diabetes, cardiovascular disease and even some types of cancer. It’s also linked to a higher risk of mood disorders and other mental health issues.

Yet, numerous teens find themselves struggling to meet the demands of the day and get enough sleep. Over-scheduling is real and far too common. If, as some students reported, starting school a bit later means it is difficult to fit extra-curricular activities into their schedule with homework and other obligations, perhaps it is time to reevaluate the activity load and set priorities that are more reflective of health and well-being needs, even if that means cutting out an activity or two to free up time for better sleep.

One Thing Experts Agree On

While there may be varying perspectives on school start times and teen circadian rhythms, there is one thing that experts do agree on: the importance of getting enough sleep each night. The law makers and school districts that are looking at the data and trying something new – later school start times – to address the sleep issue are to be commended for recognizing a problem and trying to solve it. However, it’s important to note that school start times aren’t the only factor. Lifestyle choices are important too.