NPR – Claudio Sanchez
“”If a kid is in first period when they should still be asleep, how much are they really learning?” Anne Wheaton is an epidemiologist and the lead author of a new study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The study surveyed the start times of 8000 middle and high schools across the country. Last year the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that middle and high schools start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. The goal is to accommodate the “natural sleep rhythms” of teenagers. Wheaton says that other research suggests nearly two-thirds of young people are seriously sleep deprived. And that can lead in turn to obesity, depression, smoking, drinking, and lower grades. It can even be a contributing factor to car crashes for young drivers. The CDC found that five out of six schools started before 8:30 a.m. Too early in the researchers’ view.”(more)