Half an hour more teenagers sleep more than an hour later

Parents mixed the change, however, as expected, the students used the time they received as a gift to sleep - wrote the medicalxpress.com portal describing the results of the research published in the current issue of Science Advances.

Research by colleagues at the University of Washington and the Institute for Biological Studies in Salk has shown that teenagers in the two high schools in Seattle studied slept more than 34 minutes on average during the days of the school day; increased with later start.

The pupils' sleep time increased significantly, the later schooling was better suited to the natural awakening time of adolescents, stressed one of the authors of the study, Horacio de la Iglesia, Professor of Biology at the University of Washington, adding that the teaching began in vain, which did not encourage children to lie down later.

According to current research, adolescent biorhythmics are fundamentally different from adults and children, ”Gideon Dunster, a Ph.D.

In puberty, it prolongs the circadian - sleep and wake cycle (physiological solar cycle) in adolescents and reduces the sensitivity to morning light. That's why teenagers sleep late at night and wake up later in the morning compared to adults and children.

"Asking a teenager to get up and be awake at 7.30 am is like asking an adult to be active and alert at 5.30 am," de la Iglesia explained.

Dunster noted that, according to research, when in the United States adolescents sleep, their biological clock is set, but when they get up they are socially determined. "This has serious consequences for their health and well-being, as disturbed circadian rhythm can affect digestion, heart rhythm, body temperature, immune system function, attention and mental health," he added.

Two groups of teenagers were involved in the research from the two high schools. Children from both schools were placed in both groups. In one group, 92 students wore a wrist monitor for 24 hours a day for spring, when teaching began at 7.50.

In 2017, about seven months after the launch, 88 students from the second group also received a wrist monitor. Through the sensors of the hinges, the researchers gained data on the activity of the students and the light conditions, knowing when and how much the teenagers were asleep and when they were awake.

According to the study, the learning outcomes of adolescents involved in the research have also improved. "The beginnings of teaching have a profound impact on how students learn and what their results are. The adolescents have their own rhythm of life. The question is: what time does their school work?" de la Iglesia said.

(Source: marmalade.co.uk; MTI | Picture: pixabay.com)