9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 It's six o'clock in the morning, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 pitch black outside. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 My 14-year-old son[br]is fast asleep in his bed, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 sleeping the reckless,[br]deep sleep of a teenager. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I flip on the light and physically shake[br]the poor boy awake, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 because I know that, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 like ripping off a Band aid, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 it's better to get it over with quickly. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I have a friend who yells "fire"[br]just to rouse her sleeping teen. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And another who got so fed up 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 that she had to dump cold water[br]on her son's head 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 just to get in out of bed. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Sound brutal ... 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but perhaps familiar? 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Every morning, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I ask myself, "How can I? 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Knowing what I know, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and doing what I do for a living, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 be doing this to my own son?" 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 You see, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I'm a sleep researcher. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Laughter) 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 So I know far too much about sleep, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and the consequences of sleep loss. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I know that I'm depriving my son[br]of the sleep he desparately needs 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 as a rapidly growing teenager. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I also know that by waking him up 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 hours before his natural[br]biological clock tells him he's ready, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I'm literally robbing him[br]of his dreams -- 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the type of sleep most associated[br]with learning, memory consolidation 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and emotional processing. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 But it's not just my kid[br]that's being deprived of sleep. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Sleep deprivation among[br]American teenagers is an epidemic. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Only about one in 10 gets[br]the eight-to-10 hours sleep per night 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 recommended by sleep scientists[br]and pediatricians. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 If you're thinking to yourself, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 "Phew, we're doing good, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 my kid's getting eight hours," 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 remember, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 eight hours is the minimum[br]recommendation -- 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 you're barely passing. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Eight hours is kind of like[br]getting a C on your report card. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 There are many factors[br]contributing to this epidemic, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but a major factor preventing teens[br]from getting the sleep they need 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 is actually a matter of public policy. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Not hormones, social lives or Snapchat. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Across the country, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 many schools are starting[br]around 7:30 am or earlier, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 despite the fact that major[br]medical organizations recommend 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 that middle and high school start[br]no earlier than 8:30 a.m. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 These early start policies have[br]a direct effect on how much, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 or really how little sleep[br]American teenagers are getting. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 They're also pinning[br]teenagers and their parents 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 in a fundamentally unwinnable fight[br]against their own bodies. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Around the time of puberty, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 teenagers experience a delay[br]in their biological clock, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 which determines when we feel most awake[br]and when we feel most sleepy. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 This is driven in part by a shift[br]in the release of the hormone melatonin. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Teenagers bodies wait to start releasing[br]melatonin until about 11 p.m, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 which is two hours later than what[br]we see in adults or younger children. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 This means that waking a teenager up[br]at 6 a.m. is the biological equivalent 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 of waking an adult up at 4 a.m. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 On the unfortunate days when[br]I have to wake up at 4 a.m., 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I'm a zombie. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Functionally useless. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I can't think straight, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I'm irritable 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and I probably shouldn't be driving a car, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but this is how many American[br]teenagers feel every single school day. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 In fact, many of the -- 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 shall we say, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 characteristics that we chalk up[br]to being a teenagers -- 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 moodiness, irritability,[br]laziness, depression -- 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 could be a product[br]of chronic sleep deprivation. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 For many teens battling[br]chronic sleep loss, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 their go-to strategy to compensate[br]is consuming large quantities of caffeine 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 in the form of venti frappucinnos, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 or energy drinks and shots. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 So essentially, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 we've got an entire population[br]of tired but wired youth. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Advocated of sleep-friendly start times[br]know that adolescence is a period 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 of dramatic brain development, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 particularly in the parts of the brain 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 that are responsible for those higher[br]order thinking processes, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 including reasoning, problem-solving[br]and good judgment. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 In other words, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the very type of brain activity[br]that's responsible 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 for reigning in those impulsive[br]and often risky behaviors 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 that are so characteristic of adolescence 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and that are so terrifying[br]to us parents of teenagers. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 They know that like the rest of us, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 when teenagers don't[br]get the sleep they need, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 their brains, their bodies[br]and behaviors suffer 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 with both immediate and lasting effects. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 They can't concentrate, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 their attention plummets 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and many will even show[br]behavioral signs that mimic ADHD. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 But the consequences of teen sleep loss[br]go well beyond the classroom, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 sadly contributing to the many[br]of the mental health problems 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 that skyrocket during adolesence, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 including substance use, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 depression and suicide. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 In our work with teens from LA [br]Unified School District, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 we found that teens with sleep problems 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 were 55 percent more likely[br]to have used alcohol in the past month. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 In another study with over[br]30,000 high school students, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 they found that for each[br]hour of lost sleep, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 there was a 38 percent increase[br]in feeling sad or hopeless, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and a 58 percent increase[br]in teen suicide attempts. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And if that's not enough, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 teens who skip out on sleep[br]are at increased risk 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 for a host of physical health problems[br]that plague our country, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 including obesity,[br]heart disease and diabetes. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Then there's the risk of putting[br]a sleep-deprived teen, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 with a newly minted driver's license, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 behind the wheel. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Studies have shown that getting five hours[br]or less of sleep per night 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 is the equivalent of driving with a blood[br]alcohol content above the legal limit. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Advocates of sleep-friendly start times, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and researchers in this area, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 have produced tremendous science, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 showing the tremendous benefits[br]of later start times. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 The findings are unequivocal, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and as a sleep scientist, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I rarely get to speak[br]with that kind of certainty. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Teens from districts with later[br]start times get more sleep. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 To the naysayers who may think[br]that if schools start later, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 teens will just stay up later, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 the truth is, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 their bedtimes stay the same, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but their wake-up times get extended, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 resulting in more sleep. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 They're more likely to show up for school; 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 school absences dropped[br]by 25 percent in one district. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And they're less likely to dropout. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Not surprisingly, they do[br]better academically. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 So this has real implications[br]for reducing the achievement gap. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Standardized test scores[br]in math and reading 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 go up by two to three percentage points. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 That's as powerful as reducing class sizes[br]by one-third fewer students, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 or replacing a so-so teacher[br]in the classroom 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 with a truly outstanding one. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Their mental and physical health improves, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and even their families are happier. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 I mean, who wouldn't enjoy a little[br]more pleasantness from our teens, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and a little less crankiness? 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Even their communities are safer 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 because car crash rates go down -- 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 a 70 percent reduction in one district. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Given these tremendous benefits, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 you might think, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 well, this is a no-brainer, right? 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 So why have we as a society[br]failed to heed this call? 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Often the argument against later[br]start times goes something like this: 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 "Why should we delay[br]start times for teenagers? 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 We need to toughen them up[br]so they're ready for the real world!" 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 But that's like saying to the parent[br]of a two-year-old, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 "Don't let Johnny nap, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 or he won't be ready for kindergarten." 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 (Laughter) 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Delaying start times also presents[br]many logistical challenges. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Not just for students and their families, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but for communities as a whole. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Updating bus routes, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 increased transportation costs, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 impact on sports, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 care before or after school. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 These are the same concerns that come up[br]in district after district, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 time and again around the country 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 as school start times are debated. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And they're legitimate concerns, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 but these are problems[br]we have to work through. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 They're not valid excuses for failing[br]to do the right thing for our children, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 which is to start middle and high schools[br]no earlier than 8:30 a.m. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And in districts around the country, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 big and small, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 who have made this change, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 they found that these fears[br]are often unfounded, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and far outweighed by the tremendous[br]benefits for student health 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and performance, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and our collective public safety. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 So tomorrow morning, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 when coincidentally we get to set[br]our clocks back by an hour, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and you get that delicious[br]extra hour of sleep, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and they day seems a little longer, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and a little more full of hope, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 think about the tremendous power of sleep. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 And think about what a gift it would be 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 for our children to be able[br]to wake up naturally, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 in harmony with their own biology. 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 Thank you, 9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000 and pleasant dreams.