How does later school start times improve mental health?

Research shows that when school starts later, teens get more sleep, says Shelby Harris, a sleep psychologist and clinical associate professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, with "many adolescents able to obtain at least eight hours of sleep per night." That leads to better physical and mental health, ...

How can starting school later help with mental health?

Studies show that extra sleep for teenagers actually helps shield them against depression and anxiety. It's true! This study from 2017 showed that teenagers with school starting at 8:30am or later had better mental health than their earlier-starting counterparts.

Why are later school start times better for students?

Delaying start times

Benefits observed from later high school start times include: Increased attendance rates. Decrease in disciplinary action. Decrease in student-involved car accidents.

How does longer school hours affect students mental health?

With such long hours, it can be difficult for students to make friends and socialize. This can lead to mental health issues such as depression and anxiety.

Do later school start times really help high school students psychology today?

Moreover, the increase in sleep duration was explained by students waking up later (that is, students were still going to bed around the same time). In addition, delaying school start times was also associated with higher grades, lower levels of daytime sleepiness, and fewer first-period tardies and absences.

To improve mental health, some schools start later

Is high school good for mental health?

High school can be a breeding ground for individuality and socializing, but it can also contribute to mental health disorders, low self-esteem, and bullying.

What is the main reason some people want later high school start times?

Many studies show that later schools starts are associated with better grades, higher test scores, and improved focus and self-regulation among middle and high school students.

How does later school start times reduce stress?

Research shows that when school starts later, teens get more sleep, says Shelby Harris, a sleep psychologist and clinical associate professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, with "many adolescents able to obtain at least eight hours of sleep per night." That leads to better physical and mental health, ...

Are later school start times better?

Later school start times support the biological needs of adolescents; they increase the amount of sleep adolescents get. Other benefits of later start times include: Improved attendance at school. Decreased tardiness.

Do longer school days improve test scores?

No Direct Correlation Between Longer Days and Higher Achievement. While studies have found that longer instruction time can improve achievement, the correlation is not exact and depends on other factors, such as classroom environment, quality of instruction, and student ability.

How does early school start times affect mental health?

Disrupting these circadian rhythms with early school start times can cause chronic sleep deprivation, which leads to increased risk for obesity, depression, poor academic performance, substance abuse and driving accidents.

How later school start times would benefit the economy?

Key Findings

After a decade, the study showed that delaying schools start times would contribute $83 billion to the U.S. economy, with this increasing to $140 billion after 15 years. During the 15 year period examined by the study, the average annual gain to the U.S. economy would about $9.3 billion each year.

How many hours of sleep do teens need?

Importance of Sleep

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has recommended that children aged 6–12 years should regularly sleep 9–12 hours per 24 hours and teenagers aged 13–18 years should sleep 8–10 hours per 24 hours.

Should school start later in the day pros and cons?

Here's a quick answer: While starting school later has several benefits like improved academic performance and better health outcomes for teens, it also comes with challenges like scheduling sports and extracurriculars.

How would shorter school days benefit students mental health?

Shorter days give students an opportunity to concentrate better, as human attention span is limited. More hours of sleep and reduced stress. When kids have spare time, they can use it to get more rest, which is crucial for brain development. Lower costs.

How would later school start time affect sleep?

Most studies reviewed provide evidence that delaying school start time increases weeknight sleep duration among adolescents, primarily by delaying rise times. Most of the studies saw a significant increase in sleep duration even with relatively small delays in start times of half an hour or so.

Why do teens need more sleep?

Teens need more sleep because they are in a time of very fast physical, intellectual and emotional growth. Although getting enough sleep may not seem that big of a deal, medical research shows that teens who usually get too little sleep are more likely to struggle in school.

How many states have pushed back school start times?

And while California is the first state to mandate later school start times, other states including Alaska, New York, New Jersey, and Tennessee have proposed similar legislation; each one in varying stages of the process. And many local authorities are implementing later start times for their districts.

How does a 4 day school week reduce stress?

Starting each week on a high note will set students and teachers up to have a productive week and eliminate some of the anxiety and stress they are all experiencing. If families wanted to take a weekend trip to explore, or destress, they would be able to keep their child home on Monday without any repercussions.

How does later school start times affect parents?

"Fewer parents reported feeling tired if you had a student in middle school or high school as they were getting more sleep," Osuna said. The study found that parents didn't go to sleep any later when middle and high school start times were moved back, but that they instead slept later into the morning.

How does school affect teenage mental health?

Why do students struggle with mental health in school? Academic pressure, social pressures, bullying, overscheduling, and difficult peer relationships are some of the school-related issues that can cause students to struggle with their mental health.

Why is starting school later bad?

Many students do homework, extracurricular activities such as clubs and sports, or work, after school, but if school was to start later in the morning, it would negatively affect the student's daily schedule. Pushing back the start time could affect the schedules of working parents that drop their kids off at school.

Why do high schoolers start so early?

A major concern has been busing. Even in normal times, districts use the same buses and drivers for students of all ages. They stagger start times to do that, with high schoolers arriving and leaving school earliest in the day.

What are the benefits of starting school early?

How does school affect mental health 2023?

The pressure to perform well can make students overanxious. Stress from failure and negative emotions from social rejection also contribute to mental health decline. The following can affect students' mental health negatively. High expectations – students can be under the pressure of their parents' high expectations.