Should school start times be pushed back to match the sleep cycles of teenagers?
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- It's back-to-school time for most students and research shows getting up early is difficult for most teenagers. This prompted some states and districts to consider delaying school start times, but it hasn't happened.
Studies show kids are more productive when they're allowed to sleep a little later, it's because their biological clocks are wired that way.
The school day scramble usually includes getting sleepy teenagers out the door.
"They're zombies in the morning and then it's very stressful to try to get them up," parent Christine Greenway said.
Research has shown that teenage sleep cycles have them naturally sleeping later.
"Sleep in teenagers is very important," Dr. April Wazeka, with the Morristown Medical Center, said. "It's an important stage of brain development but we know that in the teenage years your circadian rhythm, your day/night cycle shifts and teenagers tend to stay up later and want to sleep in later."
The Academy of Pediatrics recommends teens get eight to 10 hours of sleep. Studies show nearly 70% of teens don't get the recommended amount of sleep which increases their risk of depression, lower grades, obesity and suicidal thoughts.
"Teen brains are not like adult brains and not like children's brains. Their circadian rhythm are different and they need sleep that goes from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m.," Philadelphia psychologist Katherine K. Dahlsgaard said.
Calling insufficient sleep an important public health issue, the academy says middle and high schools school start no earlier than 8:30 a.m.
"Pushing back start times is going to help us and going to help all our grades in the end," junior Shayna said.
Momentum to move back school start times has diminished, partially because of complaints that delaying the end of school would interfere with extracurricular activities.
Philadelphia scrapped its plan to delay opening until 9 a.m., citing bus driver shortages. But, there is proposed legislation in New Jersey that would push high school start times to no earlier than 8:30 a.m. beginning in the 2024-25 school year.
So far, California is the only state that moved back school start times, and many pediatricians hope other states follow suit.
