WEBVTT 00:00:11.760 --> 00:00:13.976 It's six o'clock in the morning, 00:00:14.000 --> 00:00:15.320 pitch black outside. 00:00:16.040 --> 00:00:19.256 My 14-year-old son is fast asleep in his bed, 00:00:19.280 --> 00:00:22.360 sleeping the reckless, deep sleep of a teenager. 00:00:23.400 --> 00:00:27.376 I flip on the light and physically shake the poor boy awake, 00:00:27.400 --> 00:00:30.016 because I know that, like ripping off a Band-Aid, 00:00:30.040 --> 00:00:31.976 it's better to get it over with quickly. NOTE Paragraph 00:00:32.000 --> 00:00:33.656 (Laughter) NOTE Paragraph 00:00:33.680 --> 00:00:38.416 I have a friend who yells "Fire!" just to rouse her sleeping teen. 00:00:38.440 --> 00:00:40.416 And another who got so fed up 00:00:40.440 --> 00:00:43.296 that she had to dump cold water on her son's head 00:00:43.320 --> 00:00:45.240 just to get him out of bed. 00:00:46.000 --> 00:00:47.736 Sound brutal ... 00:00:47.760 --> 00:00:49.560 but perhaps familiar? NOTE Paragraph 00:00:51.000 --> 00:00:53.856 Every morning I ask myself, 00:00:53.880 --> 00:00:55.456 "How can I -- 00:00:55.480 --> 00:00:57.216 knowing what I know 00:00:57.240 --> 00:00:59.656 and doing what I do for a living -- 00:00:59.680 --> 00:01:01.680 be doing this to my own son?" 00:01:02.440 --> 00:01:03.736 You see, 00:01:03.760 --> 00:01:05.456 I'm a sleep researcher. NOTE Paragraph 00:01:05.480 --> 00:01:07.656 (Laughter) NOTE Paragraph 00:01:07.680 --> 00:01:09.496 So I know far too much about sleep 00:01:09.520 --> 00:01:12.216 and the consequences of sleep loss. 00:01:12.240 --> 00:01:16.335 I know that I'm depriving my son of the sleep he desperately needs 00:01:16.359 --> 00:01:18.240 as a rapidly growing teenager. 00:01:18.760 --> 00:01:21.016 I also know that by waking him up 00:01:21.040 --> 00:01:25.696 hours before his natural biological clock tells him he's ready, 00:01:25.720 --> 00:01:28.120 I'm literally robbing him of his dreams -- 00:01:28.800 --> 00:01:34.576 the type of sleep most associated with learning, memory consolidation 00:01:34.600 --> 00:01:36.440 and emotional processing. NOTE Paragraph 00:01:37.160 --> 00:01:40.040 But it's not just my kid that's being deprived of sleep. 00:01:41.160 --> 00:01:44.920 Sleep deprivation among American teenagers is an epidemic. 00:01:45.760 --> 00:01:50.256 Only about one in 10 gets the eight to 10 hours of sleep per night 00:01:50.280 --> 00:01:53.480 recommended by sleep scientists and pediatricians. 00:01:54.680 --> 00:01:56.416 Now, if you're thinking to yourself, 00:01:56.440 --> 00:01:59.696 "Phew, we're doing good, my kid's getting eight hours," 00:01:59.720 --> 00:02:00.936 remember, 00:02:00.960 --> 00:02:04.456 eight hours is the minimum recommendation. 00:02:04.480 --> 00:02:06.536 You're barely passing. 00:02:06.560 --> 00:02:09.400 Eight hours is kind of like getting a C on your report card. NOTE Paragraph 00:02:10.360 --> 00:02:13.200 There are many factors contributing to this epidemic, 00:02:14.000 --> 00:02:18.536 but a major factor preventing teens from getting the sleep they need 00:02:18.560 --> 00:02:20.879 is actually a matter of public policy. 00:02:21.560 --> 00:02:25.440 Not hormones, social lives or Snapchat. 00:02:26.920 --> 00:02:28.176 Across the country, 00:02:28.200 --> 00:02:33.056 many schools are starting around 7:30am or earlier, 00:02:33.080 --> 00:02:37.176 despite the fact that major medical organizations recommend 00:02:37.200 --> 00:02:41.640 that middle and high school start no earlier than 8:30am. 00:02:42.640 --> 00:02:46.776 These early start policies have a direct effect on how much -- 00:02:46.800 --> 00:02:50.800 or really how little sleep American teenagers are getting. NOTE Paragraph 00:02:51.920 --> 00:02:55.816 They're also pitting teenagers and their parents 00:02:55.840 --> 00:02:59.920 in a fundamentally unwinnable fight against their own bodies. 00:03:00.760 --> 00:03:02.576 Around the time of puberty, 00:03:02.600 --> 00:03:06.336 teenagers experience a delay in their biological clock, 00:03:06.360 --> 00:03:10.040 which determines when we feel most awake and when we feel most sleepy. 00:03:10.920 --> 00:03:14.560 This is driven in part by a shift in the release of the hormone melatonin. 00:03:15.480 --> 00:03:21.016 Teenagers' bodies wait to start releasing melatonin until around 11pm, 00:03:21.040 --> 00:03:25.360 which is two hours later than what we see in adults or younger children. 00:03:27.240 --> 00:03:33.256 This means that waking a teenager up at 6am is the biological equivalent 00:03:33.280 --> 00:03:36.240 of waking an adult up at 4am. 00:03:37.160 --> 00:03:41.136 On the unfortunate days when I have to wake up at 4am, 00:03:41.160 --> 00:03:42.496 I'm a zombie. 00:03:42.520 --> 00:03:44.256 Functionally useless. 00:03:44.280 --> 00:03:45.896 I can't think straight, 00:03:45.920 --> 00:03:47.416 I'm irritable, 00:03:47.440 --> 00:03:49.880 and I probably shouldn't be driving a car. 00:03:51.080 --> 00:03:55.200 But this is how many American teenagers feel every single school day. 00:03:55.680 --> 00:03:58.696 In fact, many of the, shall we say, 00:03:58.720 --> 00:04:03.056 unpleasant characteristics that we chalk up to being a teenager -- 00:04:03.080 --> 00:04:06.496 moodiness, irritability, laziness, depression -- 00:04:06.520 --> 00:04:09.400 could be a product of chronic sleep deprivation. 00:04:10.480 --> 00:04:13.216 For many teens battling chronic sleep loss, 00:04:13.240 --> 00:04:18.736 their go-to strategy to compensate is consuming large quantities of caffeine 00:04:18.760 --> 00:04:20.936 in the form of venti frappuccinos, 00:04:20.960 --> 00:04:22.800 or energy drinks and shots. 00:04:23.480 --> 00:04:24.696 So essentially, 00:04:24.720 --> 00:04:30.720 we've got an entire population of tired but wired youth. NOTE Paragraph 00:04:33.000 --> 00:04:36.616 Advocates of sleep-friendly start times know 00:04:36.640 --> 00:04:40.176 that adolescence is a period of dramatic brain development, 00:04:40.200 --> 00:04:42.256 particularly in the parts of the brain 00:04:42.280 --> 00:04:45.816 that are responsible for those higher order thinking processes, 00:04:45.840 --> 00:04:50.120 including reasoning, problem-solving and good judgment. 00:04:50.720 --> 00:04:53.856 In other words, the very type of brain activity that's responsible 00:04:53.880 --> 00:04:58.456 for reining in those impulsive and often risky behaviors 00:04:58.480 --> 00:05:01.416 that are so characteristic of adolescence 00:05:01.440 --> 00:05:05.200 and that are so terrifying to us parents of teenagers. 00:05:06.000 --> 00:05:07.896 They know that like the rest of us, 00:05:07.920 --> 00:05:10.336 when teenagers don't get the sleep they need, 00:05:10.360 --> 00:05:13.496 their brains, their bodies and behaviors suffer 00:05:13.520 --> 00:05:16.160 with both immediate and lasting effects. 00:05:16.680 --> 00:05:18.496 They can't concentrate, 00:05:18.520 --> 00:05:20.416 their attention plummets 00:05:20.440 --> 00:05:24.200 and many will even show behavioral signs that mimic ADHD. NOTE Paragraph 00:05:25.720 --> 00:05:30.136 But the consequences of teen sleep loss go well beyond the classroom, 00:05:30.160 --> 00:05:33.776 sadly contributing to many of the mental health problems 00:05:33.800 --> 00:05:36.496 that skyrocket during adolescence, 00:05:36.520 --> 00:05:38.336 including substance use, 00:05:38.360 --> 00:05:40.840 depression and suicide. 00:05:41.800 --> 00:05:44.976 In our work with teens from LA Unified School District, 00:05:45.000 --> 00:05:47.216 we found that teens with sleep problems 00:05:47.240 --> 00:05:51.440 were 55 percent more likely to have used alcohol in the past month. 00:05:52.480 --> 00:05:56.376 In another study with over 30,000 high school students, 00:05:56.400 --> 00:05:59.976 they found that for each hour of lost sleep, 00:06:00.000 --> 00:06:03.720 there was a 38 percent increase in feeling sad or hopeless, 00:06:04.800 --> 00:06:08.680 and a 58 percent increase in teen suicide attempts. 00:06:10.000 --> 00:06:12.256 And if that's not enough, 00:06:12.280 --> 00:06:14.816 teens who skip out on sleep are at increased risk 00:06:14.840 --> 00:06:18.896 for a host of physical health problems that plague our country, 00:06:18.920 --> 00:06:23.000 including obesity, heart disease and diabetes. 00:06:24.160 --> 00:06:27.056 Then there's the risk of putting a sleep-deprived teen, 00:06:27.080 --> 00:06:29.616 with a newly minted driver's license, 00:06:29.640 --> 00:06:30.920 behind the wheel. 00:06:31.560 --> 00:06:36.056 Studies have shown that getting five hours or less of sleep per night 00:06:36.080 --> 00:06:41.760 is the equivalent of driving with a blood alcohol content above the legal limit. NOTE Paragraph 00:06:47.600 --> 00:06:50.096 Advocates of sleep-friendly start times, 00:06:50.120 --> 00:06:52.176 and researchers in this area, 00:06:52.200 --> 00:06:54.376 have produced tremendous science 00:06:54.400 --> 00:06:58.296 showing the tremendous benefits of later start times. 00:06:58.320 --> 00:07:00.616 The findings are unequivocal, 00:07:00.640 --> 00:07:02.336 and as a sleep scientist, 00:07:02.360 --> 00:07:05.080 I rarely get to speak with that kind of certainty. 00:07:06.560 --> 00:07:10.376 Teens from districts with later start times get more sleep. 00:07:10.400 --> 00:07:13.896 To the naysayers who may think that if schools start later, 00:07:13.920 --> 00:07:15.560 teens will just stay up later, 00:07:16.320 --> 00:07:17.576 the truth is, 00:07:17.600 --> 00:07:19.536 their bedtimes stay the same, 00:07:19.560 --> 00:07:21.816 but their wake-up times get extended, 00:07:21.840 --> 00:07:24.000 resulting in more sleep. 00:07:24.760 --> 00:07:27.136 They're more likely to show up for school; 00:07:27.160 --> 00:07:31.056 school absences dropped by 25 percent in one district. 00:07:31.080 --> 00:07:33.656 And they're less likely to drop out. 00:07:33.680 --> 00:07:37.176 Not surprisingly, they do better academically. NOTE Paragraph 00:07:37.200 --> 00:07:41.936 So this has real implications for reducing the achievement gap. 00:07:41.960 --> 00:07:44.656 Standardized test scores in math and reading 00:07:44.680 --> 00:07:47.120 go up by two to three percentage points. 00:07:47.720 --> 00:07:53.296 That's as powerful as reducing class sizes by one-third fewer students, 00:07:53.320 --> 00:07:56.496 or replacing a so-so teacher in the classroom 00:07:56.520 --> 00:07:58.680 with a truly outstanding one. 00:07:59.840 --> 00:08:02.376 Their mental and physical health improves, 00:08:02.400 --> 00:08:04.736 and even their families are happier. 00:08:04.760 --> 00:08:09.576 I mean, who wouldn't enjoy a little more pleasantness from our teens, 00:08:09.600 --> 00:08:11.560 and a little less crankiness? 00:08:12.440 --> 00:08:14.296 Even their communities are safer 00:08:14.320 --> 00:08:16.856 because car crash rates go down -- 00:08:16.880 --> 00:08:19.720 a 70 percent reduction in one district. NOTE Paragraph 00:08:20.800 --> 00:08:23.216 Given these tremendous benefits, 00:08:23.240 --> 00:08:24.576 you might think, 00:08:24.600 --> 00:08:27.296 well, this is a no-brainer, right? 00:08:27.320 --> 00:08:31.600 So why have we as a society failed to heed this call? 00:08:33.080 --> 00:08:36.640 Often the argument against later start times goes something like this: 00:08:37.400 --> 00:08:39.696 "Why should we delay start times for teenagers? 00:08:39.720 --> 00:08:42.960 We need to toughen them up so they're ready for the real world!" 00:08:43.600 --> 00:08:46.496 But that's like saying to the parent of a two-year-old, 00:08:46.520 --> 00:08:48.016 "Don't let Johnny nap, 00:08:48.040 --> 00:08:50.456 or he won't be ready for kindergarten." NOTE Paragraph 00:08:50.480 --> 00:08:51.680 (Laughter) NOTE Paragraph 00:08:53.280 --> 00:08:57.176 Delaying start times also presents many logistical challenges. 00:08:57.200 --> 00:08:59.576 Not just for students and their families, 00:08:59.600 --> 00:09:01.976 but for communities as a whole. 00:09:02.000 --> 00:09:03.576 Updating bus routes, 00:09:03.600 --> 00:09:05.656 increased transportation costs, 00:09:05.680 --> 00:09:07.216 impact on sports, 00:09:07.240 --> 00:09:09.656 care before or after school. 00:09:09.680 --> 00:09:14.256 These are the same concerns that come up in district after district, 00:09:14.280 --> 00:09:16.256 time and again around the country 00:09:16.280 --> 00:09:18.360 as school start times are debated. 00:09:19.360 --> 00:09:21.040 And they're legitimate concerns, 00:09:22.040 --> 00:09:24.920 but these are problems we have to work through. 00:09:25.520 --> 00:09:27.776 They are not valid excuses 00:09:27.800 --> 00:09:30.560 for failing to do the right thing for our children, 00:09:31.320 --> 00:09:36.200 which is to start middle and high schools no earlier than 8:30am. 00:09:37.160 --> 00:09:39.056 And in districts around the country, 00:09:39.080 --> 00:09:41.696 big and small, who have made this change, 00:09:41.720 --> 00:09:45.496 they found that these fears are often unfounded 00:09:45.520 --> 00:09:49.936 and far outweighed by the tremendous benefits for student health 00:09:49.960 --> 00:09:51.616 and performance, 00:09:51.640 --> 00:09:53.600 and our collective public safety. NOTE Paragraph 00:09:55.560 --> 00:09:57.336 So tomorrow morning, 00:09:57.360 --> 00:10:02.080 when coincidentally we get to set our clocks back by an hour 00:10:03.160 --> 00:10:07.480 and you get that delicious extra hour of sleep, 00:10:08.680 --> 00:10:10.640 and they day seems a little longer 00:10:11.480 --> 00:10:13.120 and a little more full of hope, 00:10:14.255 --> 00:10:18.080 think about the tremendous power of sleep. 00:10:18.920 --> 00:10:21.496 And think about what a gift it would be 00:10:21.520 --> 00:10:25.536 for our children to be able to wake up naturally, 00:10:25.560 --> 00:10:27.800 in harmony with their own biology. NOTE Paragraph 00:10:28.800 --> 00:10:30.056 Thank you, 00:10:30.080 --> 00:10:31.539 and pleasant dreams. 00:10:31.563 --> 00:10:35.134 (Applause)