When Snoozing Is Not Losing | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: The author of this post is Kristen Blair, who is a contributor to the Carolina Journal, John Hood Publisher.

    For tired teens, it's a dream come true: Slapping the snooze button has lost its stigma. Once the luxury of the lazy loll-about, those extra minutes of morning ZZZ's are just what the doctor ordered. Alarmed by an "epidemic" of sleep-deprived adolescents, the nation's pediatricians are urging middle and high schools to delay the start of the school day.

    When should schools ring the first bell? Not before 8:30 a.m., says a new statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Though seemingly simple, implementing this recommendation would require serious scheduling savvy. Most public high schools (86 percent) begin before 8:30 a.m., according to federal data; 10 percent, before 7:30 a.m.

    Is pushing back the bell worth the effort? Abundant research says it is. Contrary to early risers' favorite maxim, "you snooze, you lose," the truth is this: Nobody wins when kids are tired all the time.

    American teens are exhausted. According to a 2014 National Sleep Foundation survey, only 10 percent of 15- to 17-year-olds sleep the nine hours nightly that experts recommend; 56 percent sleep seven hours or less. Deficits pile up: The average adolescent exhibits the same levels of "pathological" sleepiness as a narcoleptic, pediatricians say.

    Part of the problem is the perception that there is no problem. Parents underestimate kids' sleep needs, notes the AAP. Indeed, 83 percent of parents in the above survey described their teens' sleep quality as "good" or "excellent." Moreover, modern culture exalts productivity at the expense of rest – a value kids internalize. To the workaholic, not the sleeper, go the spoils.

    School schedules and adolescent circadian rhythms also are out of sync. Biology doesn't favor the early bird tumbling out of the bed-nest if he's a teen; puberty has made him a night owl. Teens secrete melatonin later, take longer to fall asleep, and aren't ready for bed before 11 p.m., say pediatricians.

    Meanwhile, research showcasing the dangers of adolescent sleeplessness is accumulating. Sleep deprivation quadruples the risk of teens developing clinical depression, according to a recent University of Texas study. Chronically tired teens are more likely to be anxious and develop heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Fatigue impairs academic performance and road safety.

    Schools are experimenting with delayed start times, with encouraging results. A three-year University of Minnesota study of 9,000 teens found that students' grades, test scores, and attendance improved (and, generally, crash rates declined) when high schools started later. Other research links delayed start times with lower rates of depression.

    In North Carolina, some school systems already meet pediatricians' recommendations. Mindful of adolescent sleep needs, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools have opened high schools at 8:45 a.m. for more than 15 years. More recently, school officials in Moore County have delayed high school start times to maximize bus efficiency and teens' sleep. Currently, classes start at 8:30 a.m. or later.

    Such decisions are wise. But schools aren't the only audience for doctors' prescription. Teens sleep at home, not school, so parents are first responders in our adolescent sleep crisis.

    Parents face an uphill battle: Many obligations (homework, sports) war against sleep. Fortunately, today's most pernicious sleep-stealer – a cell phone under the pillow – is easy to apprehend. More than four in five teens owning phones snooze with them "on or near the bed," says the Pew Foundation. Incoming texts set them up for intermittent sleep. While no school reform can remove a vibrating phone from a teen's bedroom, a parent surely can.

    Schools and parents have heard a powerful wake-up call. Now it's up to us to ensure those wired, tired teens get more sleep.