Name: Why school should start later for teens
Uploaded: 2017-05-18T14:58:38Z
Duration: 10 min 23 s
Description: Teens don't get enough sleep, and it's not because of Snapchat, social lives or hormones -- it's because of public policy, says Wendy Troxel. Drawing from her experience as a sleep researcher, clinician and mother of a teenager, Troxel discusses how early school start times deprive adolescents of sleep during the time of their lives when they need it most.

Teens don't get enough sleep, and it's not because of Snapchat, social lives or hormones -- it's because of public policy, says Wendy Troxel. Drawing from her experience as a sleep researcher, clinician and mother of a teenager, Troxel discusses how early school start times deprive adolescents of sleep during the time of their lives when they need it most.

Wendy Troxel: Why school should start later for teens

Why school should start later for teens

Rousing teens at dawn battles their biology, setting the stage for a day clouded by exhaustion and reduced mental acuity.

Early school bells clash with teen circadian rhythms, yet societal inertia resists the clear benefits of adjusting schedules.

Waking teenagers at 6am disrupts their natural sleep cycles, akin to waking adults at 4am, impairing mood and cognition.