Is your teen sluggish? Sleepy? Irritable? One Connecticut high school claims to have a remedy.
Wilton High School opens its doors later than all of its surrounding high schools. In 2003, the district decided to move the first class back to 8:20 a.m. instead of 7:35 a.m. The idea, said Principal Robert McDonnell, was to help students sleep longer and gain more focus.
"Anecdotally, we would hear from many of the teachers, not all, that students now are more alert in the morning, that they appear better rested, that they are better rested during their first period classes,” McDonnell said.
A statement released Monday by the American Academy of Pediatricians supports such a move. The group claims that teenagers’ natural sleep cycles make it difficult to fall asleep before 11 p.m.
Pushing school back later means teens are "less likely to be involved in automobile accidents, and have better grades, higher standardized test scores and an overall better quality of life,” pediatrician Judith Owens said.
