Sleep-ins a bonus for teens

TEENAGERS could benefit from a later start to the school day when they return to the classroom, after a world-first study uncovered a surprise health benefit to online learning.

Tired teenagers were able to sleep for longer during Victoria’s lockdown, with their sleep schedule more aligned with their natural body clock after swapping the school commute for a lie-in.

The study, led by the Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health’s Dr Julia Stone, used a wrist monitor to compare the sleeping patterns of 59 students, aged 12-13, during normal school and online learning.

The Monash University research found that while they went to bed, on average, 26 minutes later the night before home schooling, they slept in for almost 50 minutes longer.

The students woke up at a “more appropriate body clock time” and reported feeling less sleepy and anxious. Teenagers tend to fall asleep later than adults due to a delayed release of the ‘sleep’ hormone.

Dr Stone said the body clock disruption – caused by waking up early for school – can hinder a student’s cognitive function and learning and lead to daytime sleepiness, poor emotional regulation and low mood.

“Our findings support the hypothesis … that if more time is provided before school in the morning, adolescents will use some of it for sleep, which can be beneficial to learning,” she said.

“The particularly stringent Covid-19 lockdown in Melbourne, Australia, provided a unique opportunity to look at the effect of learning from home on sleep duration, circadian timing and mood.”