Finally, Information From Overseas

Every time I've heard about or read one of these studies about teenagers and later start times from schools, I always ask the same question: do other countries/cultures have the same problems American teens seem to, or is this an American issue?  Well, we now have information from one small-scale study done in Singapore, and the results mirror what we've been told about American teens:

A new study published by the Sleep Research Society found support for pushing back school start times, showing that a later start to the day led to more sleep and better mood in teenage girls. The research was conducted at an all-girls school in Singapore and focused on about 150 students in seventh through 10th grade (average age 14). The school delayed its start time by 45 minutes, changing from a 7:30 a.m. to an 8:15 a.m. beginning, and studied the effects on its students.

After one month, students reported about 23 more minutes in bed. In addition, the percentage of students who had at least eight hours in bed each night increased from 6.9 percent to 16.1 percent. The most significant finding, however, was the students’ self-reported improvement in mood. They reported less depression, less sleepiness and overall “feeling more refreshed” during the school day.

The benefits held up after nine months, according to the study, an encouraging finding because it implies that changing school start times can have a lasting effect. 

If school starts later, won't kids just go to bed later? 

Some have worried that delaying school start times could delay bedtimes, thus perpetuating a vicious cycle of inadequate sleep. However, at nine months, researchers found that the participants were spending roughly the same amount of time in bed as they were at the one-month follow-up. 

Also at the nine-month follow-up, students had not just an increase in time spent “in bed,” but also an increase in time spent asleep.

I'd like to see this done on a bigger scale, but this is a good start.