In Brief: Students need more sleep

Friday, August 7, 2015 - 05:00 StudyHall.Rocks

Medical researchers say teens don't get enough sleep.

For years, teenagers have trudged to school before sunrise. And for years, they have complained about it. But recently, important allies have come to their side: members of the medical community.

     Research published this week again recommends that schools delay starting times so that students can sleep more. Teenagers who do not get enough sleep are more likely to be overweight, not exercise enough, become depressed, drink, smoke tobacco, use drugs and perform poorly in school, writes Anne G. Wheaton, Gabrielle A. Ferro and Janet B. Croft of the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
     But less than one-third of U.S. high school students sleep at least eight hours on school nights, they report in the Aug. 7 edition of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Report. Examining the 2011-12 school year, researchers said that in 42 states 75 percent to 100 percent of public schools started before 8:30 a.m. Overall, only 17.7 percent of public schools started class at 8:30 a.m. or later.
     For years, sleep has been an ongoing issue for students. Public schools must manage complicated bus schedules, and sending students to schools in shifts saves money. The same bus that delivers high school students at 6:30 a.m., takes elementary students to school an hour later. Given that younger children need more supervision before and after school, it makes sense to send teenagers first.
     But this system is tough on students' health. In 2014, the American Academy of Pediatrics encouraged school systems to change starting times so that students could get sufficient sleep. The academy recommended that classes begin at 8:30 a.m. or later.
     To help people sleep better, the CDC authors recommend eliminating even subtle lighting from electronic clocks, computers and mobile phones. Set an electronics curfew -- turn everything off at a specific time each night. And set a regular bedtime and rise time, even on weekends.

Unemployment: Employers added 215,000 jobs in July, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The unemployment rate remained virtually unchanged at 5.3 percent. There are 8.3 million unemployed workers.
While the unemployment rate among teens remains high, there was some good news. The rate declined to 16.2 percent in July. (It was 17.9 percent in May.)

A dog-eat-dog job market for teens

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