Fast Facts about Teen Sleep Health for Parents of Teens
Start School Later Masconomet is a group of concerned parents, students, and citizens working collaboratively to educate
the Tri-Town community and Masconomet Regional School District about the importance of healthy sleep in adolescents'
lives - from safety, to learning, physical and mental wellness, and athletic performance. Founded in December 2015, Start
School Later Masconomet is a chapter of national advocacy organization, Start School Later. For more information, please
visit startmascolater.com or Like us on Facebook at tinyurl.com/startmascolater.
OUR TEENS SUFFER FROM SLEEP DEPRIVATION
The average teenager needs 8-10 hours of sleep each night – more than most adults. The National Sleep Foundation says
that 87% of American Teenagers are not getting enough sleep each night - meaning that most teens live with sleep
deprivation. A good night’s sleep is essential for our health: physicians call it the “third pillar” of health, along with
nutrition and exercise. But we often overlook the value of sleep, perhaps because it seems that when we sleep, we are
doing nothing. The reality is that during sleep, our bodies are performing critical health functions for our brains and for
our immune systems. What are the effects of sleep deprivation?
Grades suffer - Research shows that a sleepy 8th grader will perform in class merely like a 6th grader (Sadeh, 2005).
Students getting C’s, D’s and F’s got, on average, 25 minutes less sleep and went to bed 40 minutes later than their
counterparts getting A’s and B’s (Carskadon, 2001). The Nauset Regional School (in Massachusetts) made the change from
7:35am to 8:35am in the fall of 2012. The number of Ds and Fs dropped 53% over the next year. In another study, students
who got an extra hour of sleep saw an improvement equivalent to reducing class size by one third (Carrell, 2011).
Higher rates of stress, anxiety, and depression - several studies have found a strong association between negative
moods and sleep issues. Teens who sleep nine or more hours on school nights report much more positive moods than
their peers, who report high rates of tension, stress, anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts (National Sleep Foundation,
2006). The Masconomet Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that 50% of students report always or often experiencing stress.
Psychological and social difficulties - sleep deficits make teens more negative, less emotionally stable, more
argumentative, and more aggressive. It decreases their ability to control their emotions and to bring them into line with
their own goals (Dahl, 1999).
Impaired judgment - those who live with sleep deprivation have impaired motivation, focus, and learning. They have
difficulty consolidating memory and absorbing knowledge. Dozens of studies have found that the more sleep deprived
they become, the more academic performance suffers in children, adolescents, and young adults at every educational level
(O’Malley, 2008).
Higher rates of obesity - All the studies agree that on average, children who sleep less are heavier than children who
sleep more. In Houston’s public schools, according to a University of Texas at Houston study, adolescents’ odds of obesity
increased 80 percent for each hour of sustained sleep deprivation (Gupta, 2002).
Car accidents - repeated studies have found that when teens are not getting enough sleep, they have more car accidents.
In Virgina, the teen crash rate was 41% higher for students averaging 1 hour less sleep (Vorona, 2010).
Higher rates of drug, alcohol, and tobacco use - Teens who are sleep deprived are more impulsive and more likely to
take up drinking, smoking, and drugs and they are more likely to influence their friends to do the same. One study found
that a teen is 19% more likely to take up marijuana use if his friend sleeps less than 7 hours on average (Mednick, 2010).
Sleep is a foundation for good health. Parents need to take an active role in guiding their teens toward good sleep health
and advocating for healthy sleep hours at their school. Turn the page over to see suggestions for improving teen sleep
habits.
ADOLESCENT SLEEP RECOMMENDATIONS
Adolescents need to practice good sleep habits, and their parents need to model these habits in their own homes. To
ensure the best possible chance of a good night’s sleep, they should practice the following sleep habits:
• Make sleep a priority - decide what needs to change to get enough sleep and stay healthy, happy, and smart.
• Make the bedroom a sleep haven - keep it cool, quiet, and dark.
• Avoid caffeine after 12:00pm - the half life of caffeine is 6-9 hours, which means that the caffeine from that afternoon
energy drink will only be halfway gone by the time you need to fall asleep.
• Establish a consistent schedule and routine - follow the same routine every night, such as a shower or reading.
• Don’t eat, drink, or exercise within a few hours of bedtime - stick to calm, quiet activities.
• Finish your homework an hour before bedtime - give your mind a chance to calm down.
• Avoid all screens an hour before bedtime - this includes the TV, computer, and phone. The blue light from these
screens makes you feel more awake. Doctors advise that you should not have a TV in your bedroom.
• Leave electronic devices outside the bedroom - make sleep a priority in your life.
Families need to evaluate their teens’ schedules: are they trying to do too much? When teenagers overcommit, it is
usually their sleep that suffers. Find a sustainable level of activities that will ensure that your teens get enough sleep.
Schools need to adjust start times to 8:30am or later. Families are responsible for setting healthy bedtimes, but schools
are responsible for setting healthy waking times. In August of 2014, the physicians of the American Academy of Pediatrics
issued a national recommendation that middle and high schools should start at 8:30am or later. Adolescent sleep-wake
cycles shift up to two hours later at the start of puberty, meaning that most adolescents become sleepy at 11pm and
naturally wake at 8am to get the 9 hours of sleep they need. With a start time of 7:35am, it is biologically impossible for
most Masconomet Regional School students to get enough sleep, leading to chronic sleep deprivation. Changes in
personal habits can help, but they cannot change the underlying biology. Study after study shows that when a school
district sets hours that align with the natural biology of teens, students get the sleep they need (Wahlstrom, 2014).
"There’s no question that later start times pose significant challenges and barriers … but this is something within our
control, something we can change to make a significant impact on the long-term health of children … If you knew
that in your child’s school there was a toxic substance that reduced the capacity to learn, increased the chances of a
car crash and made it likely that 20 years from now he would be obese and suffer from hypertension, you’d do
everything possible to get rid of that substance and not worry about cost. Early start times are toxic.” — Judith Owens, M.D., M.P.H., Director, Center for Pediatric Sleep Disorders, Boston Children’s Hospital.