Researchers say starting school at 9.45am would help senior secondary students in Aotearoa get more sleep and improve their health.

An opinion piece in the New Zealand Medical Journal published today says teenagers’ sleep patterns shift during puberty to favour later bedtimes, so starting the school day at a later time would allow them to still get enough sleep. 

Because sleep has such a big impact on health and wellbeing, the researchers say the later school start times are “a public health imperative” that could help young people’s mental health issues. 

They add that while poor sleep can affect people’s health at any age, adolescence is unique, with the increased physical changes and other new social roles they experience during that time.

Nearly 40% of New Zealand’s teenagers are sleeping less than the recommended 8-10 hours each night.

While two-thirds of teens report good overall wellbeing, researchers say many don’t.

The number of teens with depressive symptoms has risen from 13% in 2012 to 23% in 2019, with ethnic groups, especially Māori, disproportionately affected. 

Researchers say shifting school start times for senior students to at least 9.45am would be a good way of addressing sleep inequities by reaching teenagers across all ethnicities and socio-economic groups. 

They say the later start times could also help stop the need for teens to catch up on their “sleep debt” at weekends. 

This “catch-up” sleep, also known as social jet lag, has been linked to problems with focus, depression, and obesity, amongst other things. 

“I was tired all the time”

Teenager Sacha told Re: News they were often tired while at high school.

“My schooling hours used to be 8:40-3:15 Monday to Thursday, and then on Friday it was 9:40-3:15,” Sacha says.

“I lived no more than five minutes away from school and liked to get up 30 minutes early to get ready, which means I was waking up around 8am.

“I was tired all the time. No matter how much sleep I got, no matter how much I had eaten, my energy level could never go over 60% every school day.”

Sacha also feels not being able to switch off at the end of a school day didn’t help.

“When you get home after school your brain is reeling with information, trying to recall everything you learnt in [multiple] subjects that day.

“Inevitably you forget, which leads to you having to do revision and studying, then don't even get me started on the homework. Your brain is so full of schoolwork at home that you have no time to relax, no time to yourself.”

What do other teenagers think?

Some high schools, like Sacha’s former school, are already offering one later start per week and the authors of the New Zealand Medical Journal opinion piece say this is a good step. 

But they say schools need to make sure this later start is on either a Monday or Friday, so students don’t change their sleep patterns again midweek. 

They say they also understand later school times could impact many people and organisations, so they are surveying teenagers, parents, and teachers to get their views on the move.

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