Go ahead and hit that snooze button one more time.
California high school and high school classes will begin later than ever when the school year begins this fall. That means students (and the parents who drive them to school) can look forward to a little extra sleep.
In 2019, California lawmakers passed a first-of-its-kind law that requires public high schools to begin classes no earlier than 8:30 a.m. and high schools begin no earlier than 8:00 a.m. The law officially went into effect on July 1.
Not only do teenagers need a whopping 10 hours of sleep a day, but shifts in their biological rhythms cause them to become sleepy later on. “Asking a teen to be awake and trying to take in information at 8:30 a.m. is in some ways like asking an adult to wake up at 4 a.m.,” says Matthew Walker, a University of California Berkeley, a neuroscience professor, told NPR.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, the average public high school start time across the country was 8 a.m. and in California at 8:04 a.m. In some parts of the Golden State, the switch to virtual learning led to classes starting later, but now those delayed start times are becoming mandatory and widespread. (There are some exceptions: The new law doesn’t apply to rural communities or optional classes called “zero periods” that begin before regular school sessions.)
Experts say chronic sleep deprivation in teens is linked to poorer academic performance and mental and physical health problems, as well as substance abuse and sleepy driving. Due to the litany of public health risks, the American Academy of Pediatrics has called for school to begin no earlier than 8:30 a.m., as even an extra 60 minutes of sleep per night can have major benefits in preventing long-term health problems.
“The effects of that one hour will make them feel like 40-year-old adults,” Dr. Sumit Bhargava, a clinical associate professor of pediatrics at Stanford University, told DailyExpertNews. “If you give them the gift of more sleep time, that’s the greatest bang for your buck you can imagine.”
Lisa L. Lewis, who advocated for California law and recently published a book called “The Sleep-Deprived Teen,” told me that places where school start times have already been brought forward have shown positive results.
When Seattle’s public school district shifted its start time in 2016, students got about half an hour more sleep per night. And in suburban Denver, high school students slept an average of 45 minutes longer.
Other states, including New York and New Jersey, are now considering similar legislation.
“This is a public health problem,” Lewis said. “As of now, California is the only one, but we are often a clockmaker for other states.”
Where we are traveling
Today’s tip comes from Thomas Leary, who recommends an Orange County getaway:
“This year my family in Ohio renewed their annual summer tradition of traveling to Seal Beach for a week to relax and sunbathe with their California brothers. Seal Beach is not as glamorous as Laguna Beach or Newport Beach. It is a sleepy town with many Irish pubs and restaurants. Our family was recently able to really relax and enjoy being together in person for the first time in three years. I hesitate to recommend Seal Beach as I don’t want it to be discovered! It’s glorious.”
Tell us about your favorite places to visit in California. Email your suggestions to CAtoday.. We will share more in upcoming editions of the newsletter.
And before you go, good news
Charlie Kelly and Jean Paul Broc Gomez were set up on a blind date in June 2015. They had dinner at Bestia in downtown Los Angeles.
“I was amazed at how easy it was to talk to him,” Kelly told DailyExpertNews. “It was as if I had known him for a long time. The conversation had no pretense. It just felt very natural and familiar.”
The two sat at the bar until it closed before returning to Broc’s apartment. Kelly ended up staying for a week.
