Starting classes at middle school and high schools no earlier than 8:30 a.m. would help teens arrive alert, healthy and ready to learn, U.S. sleep medicine specialists say.
“The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that teens between 13 and 18 years of age should sleep 8 to 10 hours per night on a regular basis to promote optimal health,” lead author of the new AASM position statement Dr. Nathaniel Watson told Reuters Health in an email.
“Biology and school start times may share the blame for teen sleep loss. A natural shift in the timing of the body’s internal ‘circadian’ clock occurs during puberty, and as a result, most teens have a biological preference for a late-night bedtime,” said Watson, a sleep specialist at the University of Washington in Seattle.
