Lots of us know we are sleep-deprived, but imagine if we could fix it with a fairly simple solution: getting up later. In a speech at the British Science Festival, Dr. Paul Kelley, clinical research associate at the Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute at Oxford University, called for schools to stagger their starting times to work with the natural biological rhythms of their students. It would improve cognitive performance, exam results and students’ health (sleep deprivation has been linked with diabetes, depression, obesity and an impaired immune system).
What does Dr. Kelley suggest about the current starting time for schools?
It is not ideal for students’ health It can be detrimental to students with pre-existing health problems such as diabetes and depression It works with students’ natural sleep rhythms It is too early for both students and teachers