Sleep doctors call for later school start times

(Reuters Health) - Starting classes at middle school and high schools no earlier than 8:30 a.m. would help teens arrive alert, healthy and ready to learn, U.S. sleep medicine specialists say.

“The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that teens between 13 and 18 years of age should sleep 8 to 10 hours per night on a regular basis to promote optimal health,” lead author of the new AASM position statement Dr. Nathaniel Watson told Reuters Health in an email.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-adolescents-sleep-school-idUSKBN17L2MN