Start Later, Sleep Later: School Start Times and Adolescent Sleep in Homeschool Versus Public/Private School Students

Abstract

Homeschooled students provide a naturalistic comparison group for later/flexible school start times. This study compared sleep patterns and sleep hygiene for homeschooled students and public/private school students (grades 6–12). Public/private school students (n = 245) and homeschooled students (n = 162) completed a survey about sleep patterns and sleep hygiene. Significant school group differences were found for weekday bedtime, wake time, and total sleep time, with homeschooled students waking later and obtaining more sleep. Homeschooled students had later school start times, waking at the same time that public/private school students were starting school. Public/private school students had poorer sleep hygiene practices, reporting more homework and use of technology in the hour before bed. Regardless of school type, technology in the bedroom was associated with shorter sleep duration. Later school start times may be a potential countermeasure for insufficient sleep in adolescents. Future studies should further examine the relationship between school start times and daytime outcomes, including academic performance, mood, and health.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors would like to thank Rebecca Kochenderfer for her assistance with the homeschool data collection, all of the families who participated in the study, and Julie Chapman for her helpful review of the manuscript. This study was supported by NIH K23 MH077662.