Teens and Sleep Montgomery County High School Students and How to Help Them

Sleep and the Average Teen  How much sleep do teens need? Only ¼ of teens tested "alert" through a day following 8 hours of sleep. Teens actually need more sleep than children or adults. Teens need about 10 hours of sleep each night to be fully alert all day. "High school and college students are among the most sleep-deprived people in our population, 30% fall asleep in class at least once a week" (Maas, 1998).

What Happens?  Levels of melatonin, a hormone promoting sleep, keeps teens awake longer at night and don't feel fully awake until later in the morning than adults.  Work, study, and activities also keep teens up later at night.  Teens average 6 hours sleep a night – about 4 less than they need. "biologically speaking -- teenagers really are out of it early in the morning" (Washington Post, 2006).

Why Does It Matter?  Not enough sleep results in: memory lapses little creative thinking lack of concentration decreased critical thinking abilities  Teens with poor sleep habits: are more anxious have higher levels of depression "brain researchers say it is time that more schools faced the biological facts" (Washington Post, 2006).

Does Later School Start Work?  A 2008 study following a Kansas school district who had changed to 8:30 am for HS two years earlier: A higher percentage of students got eight or nine hours of sleep per night. Daytime sleepiness decreased. May be linked to reduced drowsy driving. Crash rates for teen drivers in the county dropped by 16.5% in the two years after the change. In the rest of the state teen crash rates increased 7.8%.  A study of 12,000 HS students in Minneapolis found: Student attendance and enrollment improved. Students also got an average of five more hours of sleep per week. Fairfax County, VA is one of the latest school districts to join the debate over school start times...from 7:20 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.

Staff Benefits  Studies of schools that tried it indicate: Many teachers continued to arrive at school at the same time they did prior to the change. These teachers had an extra hour before school in which to prepare instruction. Faculty and department meetings were scheduled before school. Guest speakers were more easily attainable for the first class of the day. "the later school start had a favorable impact on teachers' personal lives before school, but an adverse impact on their after-school schedules." (Downes, 2001).

A Complex Decision  Changing school start times: Requires altering bus schedules. Impacts after-school sports, activities, and student jobs. Changes after-school care for younger children – a far reaching issue. Requires staff contract updates and union negotiations. "…there was decreased teacher supervision at after-school activities, and coaches expressed dissatisfaction with not getting home from school until early evening " (Downes, 2001).

Can Montgomery County Help?  Ask the Board of Education to reconsider the early start of HS classes again? Revisited several times, last in  If we do, we should also ask them to: Inform and involve all stakeholders. Allow ample time [between informing stakeholders of the decision and implementing the new times]. Provide justifications based on research data. Support families in the decision process. Involve the community. Don't forget school staff. Commit to providing follow-up regarding the change "The notion of changing the time that school starts in the morning so inflamed parents and community members in the Fayette County, Ky., public schools that in the space of three months the school board voted three separate times-- reversing itself twice--before it made up its mind. " (Lawton 1999).

Can We Help the Kids Now?  Encourage them to develop routines so they get to sleep earlier. Monitor how late they study. Encourage a routine bed time. Limit snacks after 8:00 pm.  Monitor after school activities and jobs. Ensure they have enough time to complete school work before or after other activities. Help them choose activities wisely.

Resources  Teen depression rates lower with more sleep html html  Washington Post: Schools Waking Up to Teens' Unique Sleep Needs dyn/content/article/2006/01/09/AR htmlhttp:// dyn/content/article/2006/01/09/AR html  School Start Times eep.html eep.html   ES.pdf ES.pdf   On My Own Time: The Conflict Between Adolescent Sleep Needs and High School Start Times (Downes, 2001)