Local Sleep Experts Agree —

Earlybird Adolescents: Something To Lose Sleep Over

By Larissa Lytwyn

Earlier this year when the Board of Education was trying to come up with more economical school schedules, several parents were alarmed by proposed start times that would require their adolescent children to rise earlier in the morning. They appealed to the school board citing medical research detailing the lasting ill-consequences of adolescent sleep deprivation.

Local resident Deborah Ann Pollack Wollman, MD, a sleep specialist at Gaylord Hospital’s New Haven office, expressed her professional concern regarding the issue at a Board of Education meeting in early June. She has since been a resource for parents interested in learning more about the physiological process of adolescent sleep patterns. A common misconception, she said, is that teens beginning school at 7:30 am should simply go to bed earlier, because oftentimes they are physiologically incapable of falling asleep before 10 pm.

“Adolescents naturally tend to stay up late, falling asleep at any time between 10 pm and 1 am, sometimes later, and sleeping late in the morning, anywhere from 8 until noon,” she explained.

According to Arthur Kotch, MD, director of Danbury Hospital Sleep Center, the tendency reflects a “delayed sleep phase.” He explained that while younger children naturally tend to go to bed earlier and get up earlier, preteens, adolescents, and even young adults tend to have the later phase. “Biochemically, melatonin, a sleep hormone, is not injected in this group, on average, until later in the evening,” he said. In addition, adolescents tend to need between nine and ten hours sleep, unlike early-rising young children, adults, and seniors, who need approximately eight hours a night.

The presumption that cumulative sleep deprivation can be “cured” over a weekend of sleeping late is nearly physiologically impossible, he said. “Once you lose a good night’s sleep,” he remarked, “it’s very hard to make up.”

According to Dr Kotch, the town’s current school schedule — beginning at 7:30 am for high school and middle school and 9:22 am for most elementary schools — is completely antithetical to adolescents’ normal circadian rhythms, or biological clocks. The consequences, he said, could be devastating.

“It has been documented that being awake for 18 hours straight is the equivalent of have a 0.5 blood alcohol content,” he said, “which, in some states, is legally drunk.” Staying awake for a whole 24 hours, he continued, was the equivalent of having a .10 blood alcohol concentration.

In some of the nation’s school systems, including Minneapolis Public Schools, high school students are beginning their days at 8:30 am. In Connecticut, the state Thoracic Society and American Lung Association recently released a sleep disorder guide that included a report by the National Institute of Health indicating that later start times for teens would contribute to their overall health and thus, academic proficiency.

“For years, teachers have reported that students in the first and second periods of the day are typically weary and bleary-eyed,” the account stated. “Excessive sleepiness,” it continued, “is associated with reduced short-term memory and learning ability, negative moods, inconsistent performance, poor productivity, and loss of some forms of behavioral control.”

The report also acknowledged the danger of drowsy driving. “Each year, 1,500 people in the United States die from sleep-related auto accidents,” the report stated. “Drivers under the age of 25 cause more than half of the fall-asleep crashes.”

These sobering statistics, in part, provided the impetus for Wilton Public Schools to begin high school classes at 8:15 am this fall, permitting students 45 minutes more sleep. The Wilton League of Women Voters spearheaded the project, releasing its School Start Time Study Report to the town’s Board of Education in June 2002. According to the report, Senator Kevin B. Sullivan, President Pro Tem of the state Senate, proposed an Act Concerning School Day Start Time in January 2001 that would have instructed state schools to prohibit schools from ringing their opening bells before 8:30 am. Although widely favored throughout the legislature, the bill did not move forward, largely because Sen Sullivan wanted further research into the issue before proposing any dramatic changes.

In the two years since, the topic has gained state and national attention as a greater number of doctors have recognized the distinctive sleep patterns of adolescents. “We started talking to groups around town — PTAs, school planning teams, and other groups,” said Wilton League member Carole Kleinfeld.

“We opened a phone line for comments,” she said, “and offered our websites to establish pro and con forums.”

In its 2002 report, the Wilton League cited the National Sleep Foundation: “Sleeplessness…invites diminished quality of life and deteriorating health.” The foundation has led studies indicating that lack of sleep has been linked to a variety of cognition problems, information-processing difficulties, memory deficit, anxiety and depression, irritability, decreased creativity, inability to handle complex tasks, mood and behavior problems, and vulnerability to fall-asleep motor vehicle accidents.

The Wilton League found that the operating and staffing costs related to later starts times would be “minimally affected, if at all.” In addressing widespread concern over a later schedule’s effect on after-school activities and athletics, the group relied on research provided by the University of Minnesota that led that state’s school systems to eventually implement its current start time. Statistics from Edina, Minn., the report stated, indicted that participation in groups actually increased with a later school opening.

“Research cites that later state times lowers absentee rates and perhaps even increase academic performance,” said Dr Kotch.

Wilton High School students are currently dismissed at 2:10 pm; sports practices begin at 3:30 pm, with away games usually beginning at 4 pm. Students would rarely miss class, with the exception of extra travel time needed for the year’s three farthest game sites. As for lack of daylight, Wilton High School’s athletic director said that only two or three weeks in November are affected by lack of daylight. In addition, before-school time practices could be instituted to handle any drawbacks. “Our Board of Education concurred [to begin later start times] after we conducted several presentations,” said Ms Kleinfeld.

In the meantime, advised Dr Kotch, students should cope with sleep deprivation by letting in as much daylight as possible. Daylight lamps used to treat seasonal affective disorder, among other problems, can be used at the sleep center or purchased online or at some health stores from $70 to well over $100.

In addition, establishing a consistent routine by going to bed and rising at approximately the same times each day help regulate circadian rhythm. Limit intense studying, reading, or other stimulating activities at least one hour before bedtime. Avoid alcohol, caffeine, and other substances that may inhibit natural biological patterns.

Naps, if taken before late afternoon and limited to an hour maximum, can be helpful, particularly taken in lieu of driving or other engagements dangerous to pursue when tired. For more information, contact the Danbury Hospital Sleep Center at 731-8695, www.danhosp.org, Gaylord Hospital at 203-284-2888, www.gaylord.org, or the National Sleep Foundation, www.sleepfoundation.org.