Media release

From: Pasifika Medical Association Group

Many teens in Aotearoa New Zealand do not get enough sleep, exacerbated by school start times
that force them to wake earlier than they are programmed to. Adolescent’s natural sleep-wake
biology shifts at puberty to favour later bedtimes, meaning they naturally need to wake later in the
morning, and it does not change again until approximately age 21. In this opinion piece, we argue
that a later school start time (no earlier than 9:45 am) every day for senior secondary school
students (years 12 and 13) is an attractive, non-stigmatising approach to address adolescent sleep
issues, and is backed up by considerable published research on the issue from both here and
overseas. Increased sleep also has the potential to favourably impact multiple areas of adolescents'
health and wellbeing, as well as school success. However, the authors are acutely aware that later
school start times for senior students would impact many people and organisations in a variety of
ways, and therefore they also need to hear the opinions of many key stakeholders as to what might
help or hinder schools considering shifting to later starts. Short surveys for parents of New Zealand high school-aged teens and New Zealand principals and teachers of high schools, can be accessed
on our “Child and Teen Sleep Research Group” Facebook page. Additionally, there is a longer survey
for New Zealand High School teens (aged 16 and over) that asks for their opinion on later starts,
and also asks about their current school start times, and own sleep and wellbeing.