In the United States, the majority of teenagers do not get enough sleep to concentrate well at school and be in good health, according to one scientific studies published Thursday August 6. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) researchers who conducted this work, adolescents are biologically programmed to stay awake later than adults, and therefore should start school later.
Schedules that are too early in the morning lead to a chronic lack of sleep in young people, which is harmful to their health as well as to their school results.
“Getting enough sleep is important for adolescent health, safety and academic performance,” recalls Anne Wheaton, CDC epidemiologist and lead author of the study.
If adolescents tend to stay up later than adults, it is because of melatonin. This sleep hormone is secreted when night falls, which makes it easier to fall asleep. But with puberty, the biological clock of adolescents tends to shift, which explains their difficulty in going to bed before 11 p.m.
The authors recall that the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2014 encouraged middle and high schools not to start classes before 8:30 a.m., so that adolescents can benefit from 8.5 to 9.5 hours per night. Unfortunately, few schools have changed the hours. “The early hours at the start of classes prevent many adolescents from getting enough sleep”, regrets Anne Wheaton.
Establishments that refuse to adapt to recommendations
According to the study, only 17.7% of American high schools start classes after 8:30 a.m. In 39,700 public colleges and high schools, the bell rings around 8 a.m. or even as early as 7:30 a.m., according to data relating to the 2011-2012 school year.
Many parents are therefore asking schools to move back the time for the start of lessons in the morning, without any sign being visible in this direction. Middle and high school officials point out that starting school later would complicate the practice of extra-curricular afternoon activities.
Regardless, this situation leads to a lack of sleep in two in three high school students, a proportion unchanged since 2007 according to a CDC study dated 2013. And a lack of sleep presents health risks such as overweight, alcohol, tobacco and drug consumption as well as poor performance at school, the authors point out.
However, if puberty is partly to blame, the use of computer, television and smartphone screens also delays the secretion of the sleep hormone. They are therefore to be avoided before bedtime.
In France, nearly 30% of 15-19 year olds are in sleep debt according to the 2010 Youth Health Barometer published in June 2013.
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