Start School Later, Part 1

The Start School Later campaign (StartSchoolLater.net) was initiated to combat the burgeoning epidemic of sleep deprivation in teenage school children. Pediatrician Dr. Lynn Keefe explains why adolescents have a different body clock, and may arrive at school “brain-dead” when classes start too early. Teenagers require 81/2 to 10 hours of sleep per night; surveys show the average teenager sleeps around 6 1/2 hrs, clearly putting them at risk for sleep deprivation. Consequences of inadequate sleep include poor learning, inattentiveness, irritability, depression, even ADD/ADHD. Sleep deprivation has been demonstrated to increase food cravings and has been implicated in the rising tide of childhood obesity and diabetes. Excessive use of caffeinated, high-sugar energy drinks by kids makes the situation worse. Communities across the U.S. are organizing to change school schedules, and the results in terms of academic performance and parent and child satisfaction are validating the Start School Later movement. Click HERE for part 2.