The Debate Over School Start Times

We all know the stereotypes. If you’re up early, you’re a go-getter. If you sleep in, you’re lazy. But how much control do you REALLY have over when you go to bed and when you wake up? And why are teens notorious for sleeping in?

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In the US, over 80% of public schools start before 8:30AM. Because school starts so early, most students aren’t getting the 8.5 hours of sleep that most doctors recommend. You might think a simple solution is for students to simply go to bed earlier. But in reality, sleep is largely dictated by your genes. Inside all mammals is a tiny region of the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus, or the SCN. It’s a bundle of around 20,000 neurons that contains what researchers call CLOCK genes. The SCN is referred to as the body’s master clock, telling the body when to go to sleep and when to wake up. Sleep researchers refer to your body’s preferred sleep pattern as your chronotype. Your chronotype isn’t set in stone for life, though. It actually shifts as you age. The biggest change happens to teenagers. When puberty hits, the master clock experiences a phase shift. Chronotypes slowly get later and later, hitting maximum lateness by around age 18. So it really is tough for teenagers to make it to those early classes.

But schools aren’t heeding the research. And the reasons why aren’t all that scientific. Most school schedules revolve around the typical 9 to 5 workday of adults, and so there is a general worry that pushing back when school starts will be too disruptive. And there’s also a worry that delaying school start times will hurt school sports. But, a slew of medical groups -- like the CDC, the American Medical Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics -- all want schools to start BEFORE 8:30am.

What is a chronotype?
A chronotype is essentially your own, personal body clock. It’s what specific times you prefer to sleep.

What are clock genes?
Clock genes are what express your particular chronotype.

SOURCES:
School Start Times For Adolescents

Chronotypes in the US – Influence of Age and Sex

School Start Times for Middle School and High School Students — United States, 2011–12 School Year

Adolescent Changes in the Homeostatic and Circadian Regulation of Sleep

How School Start Times Affect High-School Athletics

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[slowburntm]

"HEY MOM! I can't go to school anymore because it starts too early for my chronotype. It's science, mom, look it up!" LOL

[elisaiotero-figueroa]

I think everything should shift 2hrs later so we can have enough sleep and less stress about feeling guilty for not being an early bird. The early birds should then use the time before work or study for whatever they feel like and let us sleep, cause "Night Owls Sleep Matters Too!" Thank you OvO.

[MikiDii]

when i was 14, i moved to a different middle school in San Diego that started its day at 9:15 am. it was super shocking but really exciting to me because the idea of getting more sleep was amazing to me. i didnt even change my sleeping time that much, i just went to sleep about an hour later than I normally did, but this time I could get up at 8 and be ready in half an hour and have a legitimate good day at school rather than waking up at 6:30 to let myself "fully" wake up at 7, get ready and be at school by 8. Now as a college student with more freedom to choose when my school day starts I'm thankful, because getting 8 or 9 hours of sleep actually lets me focus in class instead of sneaking in naps in the middle of lectures.

[KQEDDeepLook]

Will there be a follow up about adults waking up early for work? Asking for a friend.

[Redhotsmasher]

1:05 So, if 87% of students get insufficient sleep and 9% get optimal sleep, what do the remaining 4% get? No sleep?

[SethChase]

5:13 "people just don't want to change the way they're doing things, even when science says they probably should" ... you've just summarized life in the USA ...

[ferhattje]

I cant even wake up anymore for school

[chaseodom]

Wtf my school starts at 7:30 and the latest time I can wake up is 6:00 because my bus comes at 6:50. I’m half asleep in basically every class. I’m constantly miserable at school

What if each time I wake up without an alarm I wake up at 12 pm... No matter if I go to bed at 10 pm, 12 am, 2 am, 4 am, I always wake up about 12:30 pm. Should I "halve" to say my chronotype is 6 am, or should I take 4 hours, and say mine is 8 am?

[ilovebats]

I definitely feel like I still have a late chronotype even though I'm now in my mid 20s. Really loving that my current job doesn't require me to show up to work at any time in particular most days. 11-7 is so much nicer for my sleep than 9-5.

[RiskoPlexus]

I'm almost always sleeping 6 or 7 hours a night because of school. But I have different energy levels throughout the day based on which class I'm currently in. Then, I'm fully awake to do homework at home.

[takyraallen]

I feel so guilty, my school starts at 8:25 and I still cant get up and be there but my only excuse is I have a hard life at home but I plan to fix this!

[InformationIsTheEdge]

Liked and subbed! I hope this channel EXPLODES into a million subscribers before Halloween! 10 million before year end! SCIENCE BABY!

[IsmailA]

Keep up the amazing work, I love your videos. just subbed and hope your channel gets to the top

[taaronhall]

I think there is a lot of evidence showing the importance of a good nights sleep, one schools and teachers can set up a middle ground is by implementing block schedules. I'm college you don't take all your courses on one day 5 days a week, they're split up so that the professors have ample enough time to teach the subject, and the students (who are adults) have the time to schedule their classes around their daily lives. It seems that schools make everything easier for everyone except for the kid. Who must meet the standards of the public schools system no matter how ridiculous it is.

[pridefacts]

My school starts at 7:20 am and my mom wonders why I feel tired all the time

[michele]

Exam tomorrow and I'm watching shit on youtube talking about waking up early

[vmpirsm]

I wake up at 5:30 every morning, and I come home from school with homework every day. So i stay up until 11:30 at the least. :'(

[skrdman]

As I also commented on BrainCraft's recent video on the subject, I'm reluctant to believe that our chronotypes are hardwired into our DNA. I acknowledge that there is some hard science to back up this claim, but I also know that my sleep pattern can change, and doesn't seem to have a predetermined setting. I'll admit that I typically stay up late, and sleep in, and on work days where i have to get up early, I tend to nap in the afternoon after work. However, I'm inclined to believe that this is primarily due to my own bad habits. I have in the past been able to get myself into a good cycle for months on end where I'm actually tired at 10, and can wake up naturally at 6, and then not need a nap after work. It's just starting and maintaining the cycle that is difficult.

During the summer when I don't have work or school or other obligations to regulate my sleep cycle, I can indulge, and will find my circadian rhythm isn't even in sync with the earth's rotation. I'll might stay up an hour longer every night, and get up an hour later every morning, until eventually it comes full circle and I've slept only 23 times in 24 days. I have a hard time believing that my circadian rhythm is encoded in my DNA when it can change so drastically as I adjust my habits and lifestyle.

[mayaquinn]

WARNING:
Before you read this comment, you should know that a.) I'm bad at explaining stuff and b.) I go into a good amount of detail about my school's schedule that you probably don't have to know about or don't care.

I was so happy when I went to my high school, which starts at 8:45 on regular days, 9:25 on Wednesday block days, and 9:45 on Thursday block days. I think that more schools should adopt a block schedule like mine. Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays (regular days) have periods 1-6. Wednesdays only have periods 1, 3, and 5 and are about an hour and a half long. Thursdays have periods 2, 4, and 6 and also are about an hour and a half long. Thursdays start later but have less lunch time than Wednesdays.