Schools should not start school before 8:30

American experts point out to ensure the health of teenagers, middle and high schools should only start school hours from 8:30 onwards.

Any parents have ever witnessed their child refusing to get up and try to sleep more before school. Now, American researchers think that it is advisable to adjust class time so that children can get enough rest.

Chronic insomnia involves a range of problems such as poor learning performance, depression, and motor vehicle accidents.(Photo: CBS News).

According to CBS News, the American Association of Sleep Research (ASSM) recommends that middle and high schools start school hours from 8.30am onwards. This helps to limit latency, truancy and increases safety when driving vehicles. The adjustment also ensures students are alert and ready to acquire knowledge.

" School starts too early to make children sleep deprived. Chronic insomnia involves a range of problems such as poor performance, depression, motor vehicle accidents , " said Dr. Nathaniel Watson, former ASSM president. "Going to school at 8:30 or later will give you the opportunity to get enough rest to study and operate most effectively."

Previously, ASSM once advised adolescents aged 13-18 to sleep 8-10 hours a night. However, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention points out that this standard is hardly met because more than 60% of high school students sleep less than 7 hours a week.

In Vietnam, according to the statistics of pediatrician Johnathan Halevy at the conference on the consequences of sleep deprivation in 2016, half of preschool children and 40% of adolescents slept less than needed. The main reason is due to daily activities schedule with large volume of work, dense social activities and habits of using electronic devices.