Sleep and Health

healthy schools

Getting enough sleep plays a vital role in maintaining a student’s overall health and well-being. A full night of proper rest helps students stay alert during the day, enhances their ability to concentrate, and supports better performance in school.

When children and teens don’t get sufficient sleep, they face increased risks for various health concerns like obesity, type 2 diabetes, mental health issues, and accidental injuries. Inadequate sleep can also lead to difficulties with attention and behavior, both of which can negatively affect how well they do academically.

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How Much Sleep Do Students Need?

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The amount of sleep a person needs varies with age. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine provides specific guidelines for children and adolescents:

Age Group Recommended Hours of Sleep Per Day
6–12 years 9 to 12 hours per 24 hours
13–18 years 8 to 10 hours per 24 hours

Insufficient Sleep Among Students

According to the 2015 national and state Youth Risk Behavior Surveys, a CDC study, many middle and high school students reported getting insufficient sleep for their age group. This indicates a widespread issue with sleep deprivation among students.

Middle school students (grades 6–8):

  • The study included data from 9 states.

  • Approximately 6 out of 10 students (57.8%) reported not getting enough sleep on school nights.

High school students (grades 9–12):

  • The national sample revealed that about 7 out of 10 high school students (72.7%) failed to get the recommended amount of sleep on school nights.

What Schools Can Do

In 2014, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that middle and high schools should begin no earlier than 8:30 a.m. to allow students more time to sleep. The American Medical Association, American Academy of Sleep Medicine, and other health organizations have since supported later school start times for adolescents.

Combining good sleep hygiene practices with later start times could help improve adolescents' health and academic performance.

Provide Sleep Education

Schools can incorporate sleep education into the K–12 curriculum to help students understand the importance of sleep in maintaining good health. Topics like sleep patterns, disorders, snoring, drowsy driving, and insomnia can help students develop healthier sleep habits.

Studies suggest that sleep education programs can lead to longer sleep durations on weekdays and weekends, along with better sleep hygiene. However, further research is needed to determine how to maintain these benefits over time. One idea is to include refresher sessions to reinforce the lessons.

Review School Start Times

Late bedtimes combined with early school start times lead to many adolescents not getting enough sleep. Research has shown that delaying school start times results in more students getting adequate sleep.

School districts can support students' sleep needs by considering delayed start times, as recommended by medical experts, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

What Parents Can Do

  • Encourage and model sleep-friendly habits. Setting consistent bedtimes and wake-up times, even on weekends, helps promote good sleep for everyone. Adolescents with set bedtimes tend to get more sleep compared to those without them.

  • Reduce evening light exposure. Adolescents exposed to more light in the evening, particularly from electronics, often struggle to get enough sleep.

  • Enforce a media curfew. Limiting technology use, such as gaming or phone use, in the evening can prevent late bedtimes. Parents might consider banning technology after a certain hour or removing devices from the bedroom.

What Health Care Professionals Can Do

 Health professionals should educate adolescent patients and their families about the importance of getting adequate sleep and the common factors that contribute to sleep deprivation in teens.

Resources

Sleep Education

School Start Times

References

  1. Paruthi S, Brooks LJ, D’Ambrosio C, et al. Consensus statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine on the recommended amount of sleep for healthy children: methodology and discussion. J Clin Sleep Med. 2016;12:1549–1561.
  2. Owens J; Adolescent Sleep Working Group; Committee on Adolescence. Insufficient sleep in adolescents and young adults: an update on causes and consequences. Pediatrics. 2014;134:e921–e932.
  3. Lowry R, Eaton DK, Foti K, McKnight-Eily L, Perry G, Galuska DA. Association of sleep duration with obesity among US high school students. J Obes. 2012;2012:476914.
  4. Fitzgerald CT, Messias E, Buysse DJ. Teen sleep and suicidality: results from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveys of 2007 and 2009. J Clin Sleep Med. 2011;7:351–356.
  5. Wheaton AG, Everett Jones S, Cooper AC, Croft JB. Short sleep duration among middle school and high school students — United States, 2015. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2018;67:85–90.
  6. Chung K-F, Chan M-S, Lam Y-Y, Lai CS-Y, Yeung W-F. School-based sleep education programs for short sleep duration in adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sch Health. 2017;87:401–408.
  7. Crowley SJ, Acebo C, Carskadon MA. Sleep, circadian rhythms, and delayed phase in adolescence. Sleep Med. 2007;8:602–612.
  8. Bartel KA, Gradisar M, Williamson P. Protective and risk factors for adolescent sleep: a meta-analytic review. Sleep Med Rev. 2014;21:72–85.
  9. Knutson KL, Lauderdale DS. Sociodemographic and behavioral predictors of bed time and wake time among US adolescents aged 15 to 17 years. J Pediatr. 2009;154:426–430. e1.
  10. Wheaton AG, Chapman DP, Croft JB. School start times, sleep, behavioral, health, and academic outcomes: a review of the literature. J Sch Health. 2016;86(5):363–381.
  11. Morgenthaler TI, Hashmi S, Croft JB, et al. High school start times and the impact on high school students: what we know, and what we hope to learn. J Clin Sleep Med. 2016;12:1681–1689.
  12. Adolescent Sleep Working Group, Committee on Adolescence, Council on School Health. Policy statement: school start times for adolescents. Pediatrics. 2014;134:642–649.
  13. American Medical Association. AMA Supports Delayed School Start Times to Improve Adolescent Wellness website. Retrieved from https://www.ama-assn.org/ama-supports-delayed-school-start-times-improve-adolescent-wellness.
  14. Watson NF, Martin JL, Wise MS, et al. Delaying middle school and high school start times promotes student health and performance: an American Academy of Sleep Medicine position statement. J Clin Sleep Med. 2017;13(4):623–625.