Tag Archives: judith-owens

“Researchers delayed the start time of a single school in Rhode Island by a half hour. After the change, students got 45 minutes more snooze time on average and reported feeling less fatigued and depressed. Absences during first period and visits to the health center for fatigue also declined. However, since the study involved only one school, the results might not necessarily apply to the general population, the researchers say. The school was also not typical in that about 80 percent of students were boarding there. Nonetheless, the findings add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that postponing school starts can have a number of payoffs for teens. While the researchers don't advocate that all high schools across the country change their schedules, they say it is something to ponder. “Even a modest delay in school start time, a half hour, can have a very significant impact on quality of life and health and mood of adolescents,” said study researcher Dr. Judith Owens, director of the Pediatric Sleep Disorder Center at Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence, RI. Although such a change can be challenging in terms of coordinating a schedule shift, “I think the evidence really is mounting that it's an undertaking that's well worth at least considering,” Owens said. http://www.livescience.com/culture/school-start-time-teens-100705.html added by: DeliaTheArtist