Americans Favor Later High School Start Times, According to National Sleep Foundation Poll

Washington, DC - August 15, 2002

The first bells in America's high schools should ring no earlier than 8:00 a.m., according to a recent poll by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF). Yet, in some school districts, high schools start as early as 7:00 a.m., the Foundation noted.

Eighty percent of respondents in NSF's 2002 Sleep in America poll said high schools should start no earlier than 8:00 a.m. each day; nearly one-half of these respondents (47%) said start times should be between 8:00 and 8:30 a.m. Only 17 percent of those polled said high schools should begin before 8:00 a.m.

According to many studies, teens' sleep habits are different than adults. Their biological clocks are timed so that they tend to fall asleep and awaken later. They also need more sleep than adults - between 8.5 and 9.25 hours a night -- and are prone to an increase in daytime sleepiness, even when they get optimal amounts of sleep. With school bells ringing when teens want to be sleeping, they often find it difficult to stay awake in class, especially the first classes of the day.

"The American public is right!" said Richard L. Gelula, NSF's executive director. "A sleepy teen struggles to learn. And, inadequate and ill-timed sleep contributes to learning difficulties and behavioral problems that interfere with the learning process." Noting that some high schools start at 7:00 a.m. and perhaps even earlier, Gelula noted, "We've heard too many stories of teens falling asleep in class, or behind the wheel as they drive to school. We hope this small barometer of public opinion will support discussions occurring in communities throughout the country about delaying the times classes start in high schools."

The American public has long favored changing high school start times as one way of addressing the problem of sleepy teens. A poll conducted by NSF in l999 found that 60 percent of children under the age of 18 complained of being tired during the day, according to their parents, and 15% said they fell asleep at school during the year. Teens were twice as likely to complain about being tired than younger children, the parents reported, (23% vs.11%). One-quarter of the parents surveyed (24%) were in favor of changing school hours so teenagers could sleep later in the morning.

Rep. Zoë Lofgren (D-Calif.), a strong advocate for getting schools to set later start times, sponsored legislation pending in Congress to encourage school districts to change school hours. Her "Zzzzzz's to A's" bill advocates synchronizing high school clocks with teens' body clocks.

Source: The National Sleep Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving public health and safety by achieving understanding of sleep and sleep disorders, and by supporting education, sleep-related research, and advocacy. The Foundation is based in Washington, DC. www.sleepfoundation.org