Sleeping morning for students to improve health and grades
It is half past nine and Kronängsskolan gaps empty. Only in half an hour will 470 students’ outer shoes be parked in the school’s entrance hall. Since last fall, high school students have started at a quarter past nine instead of quarter past eight and according to Rector Åsa Häger, the effect has been predominantly positive.
– It is a safer and nicer atmosphere at school in the morning. We start the day with both teachers and students being more attractive, says Åsa Häger.
Already three years ago, the school later introduced school start one day a week after taking part in research that showed the importance of high school students at puberty getting properly sleep. Students can do more and often improve both their health and their school results. Since last fall, it is sleeping morning all week’s school days.
– We see a lot of positive effects of later school start. Especially among our most vulnerable students who find it difficult to come to school, those who are not feeling well and may have high absence. They get a little less demands and stress in the morning and some have also been given a higher presence, says Åsa Häger.
– After six months, it generally seems that the students settle for the same time, but that they sleep longer in the morning, which bodes well, says Vice President Fredric Edin.
Students like DN Talking to in the corridors is predominantly positive to later school starts that allow them to sleep longer.
– I think it is noticeable that everyone is getting more attractive and happier. When I talk to friends you notice how everyone thinks it is positive. People are more involved in the lessons and I think people on the breaks are happier, says Viktor Svensson.
He is most happy not to have to worry about falling asleep in the evenings.
– Above all, the stress in the evening has decreased tremendously. You don’t have to go to bed at 10 to get your sleep hours. You can take it easy and fall asleep at your own pace, says Viktor Svensson.
Nelia Sjömark that goes At eight, the change also had a positive impact on her grade from seven to eight.
– I have improved my result with 60 merit in one semester. I tend to be tired in the evening but now I have the time in the morning to plug, which has given me as good results as possible on the tests, says Nelia Sjömark.
Lea Lindström, who goes in seven, uses her bonus hour to get a less stressful morning.
– I don’t go up that much later. I like to take it easy in the morning. Before I took a sandwich on the go and then I went to the bus. Now I can go up and make a lovely breakfast and sit in front of the TV with a sandwich with avocado and scrambled eggs, says Lea Lindström.
The advanced school start means that the students walk an hour longer and end at the latest four instead of three o’clock. It can affect workouts that start early in the afternoon, some football club has adapted the training times to the school schedule, but some students have had more stressful afternoons.
– I train most on the weekends so it matches well with my workouts. I get to plug after dinner and I like it. But I know many people think it’s hard. If I had to decide, I would have sleeping morning three days a week and two days start earlier, says Lea Lindström.
The school has also introduced extra study time in the morning two days a week between eight and nine when the students can get help from teachers. The staff now has meeting time three days a week in the morning before the students arrive.
– The teacher meetings have a better focus than before when they were in the afternoon and the morning becomes calmer for me. I am here before eight every morning and have time to prepare myself. The students come to a table set which I think is positive. The staff is welcome to welcome the students at the entrance when we collect the mobile phones, and show that we see all students, says teacher Fredrik Fjellström.
Sleep researcher Malin Jakobsson At the Jönköping School of Health, the school’s introduction of later school starts in a research study. Her research group evaluates the effect of later school start by the students answering a survey on several occasions. They will also interview students, school staff and guardians about how they experience later school start.
– Before the later school start, the students had to answer what expectations and fears they had. Then they thought the school day would be better, with better mood and and greater concentration. They described that the first two lessons have previously been difficult because they have gone up so early and not really learned anything then. The students were generally positive for later school start but afraid that they would have less time for leisure activities and workouts. It will be very interesting to hear how it turned out, says Malin Jakobsson.
Generally speaking, teenagers get completely biologically a delayed sleep phase at puberty. They are not as tired in the evening and need to sleep a little longer in the morning. The idea then is that a later school start should take into account young people’s biologically changed sleep.
– In international studies, it has been seen that when school starts have shifted 60 minutes, it has generated between 20 and 45 minutes longer sleep, says Malin Jakobsson.
Research shows that Teens need between eight and ten hours of sleep per night.
– If you do not get it, you have seen connection with reduced learning, reduced memory and concentration and mood swings. You also see connection with anxiety and depression as well as with higher school absence and impaired school performance. Many parameters indicate that sleep is incredibly important. In the longer term, there is also connection with increased risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, says Malin Jakobsson.
This autumn, the researchers hope to be able to report the results of the study. The school will evaluate the project after the end of the semester, but probably sleeping morning on the schedule will also be next school year.
– We will investigate whether it will be every day or maybe four days a week. Some students wish we quit earlier on Fridays. We will discuss it with everyone here at the school before we make decisions, says Åsa Häger.
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