High school students benefit from later school start time

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LONDON: High school students who have a later school start time are more likely to be in a better mood.

Many schools have considered moving their current start times half an hour later and some have already made the schedule change. Experts believe students can benefit from these later start times. Students today have busy schedules that often keep them up until at least 11 p.m. every night.

A recent sleep study was completed at a private co-ed boarding school to test this theory. They pushed back their 8 a.m. start time by half an hour. 200 students agreed to participate in the study by keeping detailed journals.

The results of the study were so positive, the school officials and students voted to keep the 8:30 a.m. start time permanently.

The majority of the students noted they were getting close to eight hours of sleep every night. Doctors recommend at least nine. Students also noted they went to bed about 15 minutes earlier and slept in half an hour later.

The student’s claimed they felt less annoyed and irritated throughout the day, and were less likely to feel depressed with the extra sleep. The number of students who were late to class because they had overslept dropped nearly in half. The school cafeteria noted more students were eating a hot breakfast before school started as well.

The study was led by Dr. Judy Owens of the Hasbro Children’s Hospital and was conducted at St. George’s School. The study has been published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.