Research Finds High School Students May Get Better Grades If They Get More Sleep

Jet, Oct 11, 1999

High school students have the ability to make more A's in school but first they must get more Z's.

Researchers say high school students aren't getting enough sleep, according to an article in the Chicago Sun-Times. And, interestingly enough it would help if they didn't have to go to school so early, the study found.

A University of Minnesota study found that when high schools pushed back their start times, teachers found that students were more alert.

"Sleep experts feel really strongly that high school timings are out of sync with the natural circadian rhythms of adolescents," Michele Kipke, director of the National Academy of Sciences Board on Children, Youth and Families, told the newspaper.

Research into adolescent sleep patterns has shown, it was revealed, that most middle and late teenagers need about nine hours of sleep, yet for biological reasons they generally cannot go to sleep earlier than 11 p.m. With most high school starting times in the 7:15 to 7:45 a.m. range, the problem is obvious.

The reason for the sleep problems stem from, scientists say, that puberty changes the body's sleep cycle in such a way that teens stay alert later at night and are sleepier in the morning.

This biological clock shift, the article said, makes it difficult for teenagers to fall asleep early enough at night to get all the rest they need in time for an early class.

Rep. Zoe Logren (D-CA), according to the article, has proposed to provide a federal grant of up to $25,000 to help cover costs for high schools that want to delay start times to after 9:00 a.m.