Later School Start Time: The Impact of Sleep on Academic Performance and Health in the Adolescent Population

Valentina Alfonsi, Serena Scarpelli, Aurora D’Atri, Giacomo Stella and Luigi De Gennaro
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Valentina Alfonsi: Department of Psychology, University of Rome Sapienza, 00185 Rome, Italy
Serena Scarpelli: IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00179 Rome, Italy
Aurora D’Atri: Department of Psychology, University of Rome Sapienza, 00185 Rome, Italy
Giacomo Stella: Department of Education and Human Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 42121 Reggio Emilia, Italy
Luigi De Gennaro: Department of Psychology, University of Rome Sapienza, 00185 Rome, Italy

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 7, 1-16

Abstract: The crucial role of sleep in physical and mental health is well known, especially during the developmental period. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in examining the relationship between sleep patterns and school performance in adolescents. At this stage of life, several environmental and biological factors may affect both circadian and homeostatic regulation of sleep. A large part of this population does not experience adequate sleep, leading to chronic sleep restriction and/or disrupted sleep–wake cycles. Studies investigating the effects of different sleep–wake schedules on academic achievement showed that impaired sleep quality and quantity are associated with decreased learning ability and compromised daytime functioning. This review focuses on the most recent studies that evaluated the effects of modified school start time on sleep patterns and related outcomes. Moreover, based on the available empirical evidence, we intend to propose a direction for future studies targeted to implement prevention or treatment programs by modifying sleep timing.

Keywords: sleep; learning; school start time; academic performance; school health; sleep loss; adolescence (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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