Dataset Information

Sustained benefits of delaying school start time on adolescent sleep and well-being.

ABSTRACT:

Study objectives

To investigate the short- and longer-term impact of a 45-min delay in school start time on sleep and well-being of adolescents.

Methods

The sample consisted of 375 students in grades 7-10 (mean age ± SD: 14.6 ± 1.15 years) from an all-girls' secondary school in Singapore that delayed its start time from 07:30 to 08:15. Self-reports of sleep timing, sleepiness, and well-being (depressive symptoms and mood) were obtained at baseline prior to the delay, and at approximately 1 and 9 months after the delay. Total sleep time (TST) was evaluated via actigraphy.

Results

After 1 month, bedtimes on school nights were delayed by 9.0 min, while rise times were delayed by 31.6 min, resulting in an increase in time in bed (TIB) of 23.2 min. After 9 months, the increase in TIB was sustained, and TST increased by 10.0 min relative to baseline. Participants also reported lower levels of subjective sleepiness and improvement in well-being at both follow-ups. Notably, greater increase in sleep duration on school nights was associated with greater improvement in alertness and well-being.

Conclusions

Delaying school start time can result in sustained benefits on sleep duration, daytime alertness, and mental well-being even within a culture where trading sleep for academic success is widespread.

SUBMITTER: Lo JC

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5995199 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Sustained benefits of delaying school start time on adolescent sleep and well-being.

Lo June C JC Lee Su Mei SM Lee Xuan Kai XK Sasmita Karen K Chee Nicholas I Y N NIYN Tandi Jesisca J Cher Wei Shan WS Gooley Joshua J JJ Chee Michael W L MWL

Sleep 20180601 6

<h4>Study objectives</h4>To investigate the short- and longer-term impact of a 45-min delay in school start time on sleep and well-being of adolescents.<h4>Methods</h4>The sample consisted of 375 students in grades 7-10 (mean age ± SD: 14.6 ± 1.15 years) from an all-girls' secondary school in Singapore that delayed its start time from 07:30 to 08:15. Self-reports of sleep timing, sleepiness, and well-being (depressive symptoms and mood) were obtained at baseline prior to the delay, and at approx ...[more]

PMID: 29648616

Similar Datasets

Project description:ImportanceSleep is a resource that has been associated with health and well-being; however, sleep insufficiency is common among adolescents.ObjectiveTo examine how delaying school start time is associated with objectively assessed sleep duration, timing, and quality in a cohort of adolescents.Design, setting, and participantsThis observational cohort study took advantage of district-initiated modifications in the starting times of 5 public high schools in the metropolitan area of Minneapolis and St Paul, Minnesota. A total of 455 students were followed up from grade 9 (May 3 to June 3, 2016) through grade 11 (March 15 to May 21, 2018). Data were analyzed from February 1 to July 24, 2019.ExposuresAll 5 participating schools started early (7:30 am or 7:45 am) at baseline (2016). At follow-up 1 (2017) and continuing through follow-up 2 (2018), 2 schools delayed their start times by 50 and 65 minutes, whereas 3 comparison schools started at 7:30 am throughout the observation period.Main outcomes and measuresWrist actigraphy was used to derive indices of sleep duration, timing, and quality. With a difference-in-difference design, linear mixed-effects models were used to estimate differences in changes in sleep time between delayed-start and comparison schools.ResultsA total of 455 students were included in the analysis (among those identifying sex, 225 girls [49.5%] and 219 boys [48.1%]; mean [SD] age at baseline, 15.2 [0.3] years). Relative to the change observed in the comparison schools, students who attended delayed-start schools had an additional mean 41 (95% CI, 25-57) objectively measured minutes of night sleep at follow-up 1 and 43 (95% CI, 25-61) at follow-up 2. Delayed start times were not associated with falling asleep later on school nights at follow-ups, and students attending these schools had a mean difference-in-differences change in weekend night sleep of -24 (95% CI, -51 to 2) minutes from baseline to follow-up 1 and -34 (95% CI, -65 to -3) minutes from baseline to follow-up 2, relative to comparison school participants. Differences in differences for school night sleep onset, weekend sleep onset latency, sleep midpoints, sleep efficiency, and the sleep fragmentation index between the 2 conditions were minimal.Conclusions and relevanceThis study found that delaying high school start times could extend adolescent school night sleep duration and lessen their need for catch-up sleep on weekends. These findings suggest that later start times could be a durable strategy for addressing population-wide adolescent sleep deficits.

Dataset Information

Sustained benefits of delaying school start time on adolescent sleep and well-being.

Study objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Sustained benefits of delaying school start time on adolescent sleep and well-being.

Similar Datasets

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