The first bell echoes off the bricked hallways of Lindbergh High School in Renton, Washington, warning dazed and coffee-clutching students to pick up their pace. It’s December. It’s 7:15 a.m. It’s still dark outside. Yet, in five minutes, they are expected to be sitting in class, alert, and ready to learn.
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Poor sleep and circadian disruption carry numerous costs for teens. Studies point to lower grades and higher rates of car accidents, athletic injuries, risky behaviors, substance abuse, obesity, depression, and anxiety. Cycles of REM sleep primarily occur in the last third of the night. By cutting a night of sleep short by an hour or two or more, a teenager loses this vital time for the brain to solidify learning into memories and process emotions. REM sleep may play a critical role in strengthening critical thinking and problem-solving skills, too. “Kids may be sitting in schools, but their heads are still asleep on pillows at home,” says Mary Carskadon, a professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University and a child and renowned adolescent sleep expert.