Impact of School Start Time Delays and Learning Modality on Sleep Timing and Duration During COVID-19

ABSTRACT

Objectives

To assess the impact of a school start time (SST) delay on adolescent sleep health during the COVID-19 pandemic, and whether there were differences by learning modality.

Methods

Data were collected from a longitudinal study evaluating sleep, education, and health among high school students in Georgia in 2020. Paired t-tests and multivariable linear regression analyses were conducted to examine changes in sleep duration and timing among 9^th grade students (n = 134) and their association with the learning modality (remote vs. in-person learner).

Results

Students’ school day wake times were 1.5 hours later, school night sleep duration was 1.2 hours longer, and social jetlag was 0.9 hours shorter after the school start time delay (all P < .05). The learning modality was a significant predictor of changes in sleep timing but was not associated with changes in sleep duration.

Conclusions

Delayed school start time was associated with positive changes in adolescent sleep health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sleep timing was affected by the learning modality, however in-person and virtual students had similar gains in sleep duration. Learning modality may be more beneficial for adolescents with early school start times to promote healthier sleep habits.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank our school district partners for their invaluable help with conducting the study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, C.S. Bryan, upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development under Grant number R21HD097491 by Principal Investigator: Julie Gazmararian.