Sleep is important for everyone’s health, but it’s particularly important for children and teenagers, whose brains are still growing. Teenagers are biologically inclined to stay up later, resulting in two-thirds of young people being seriously sleep deprived. Lack of sleep can lead to obesity, depression, smoking, drinking, lower grades, and can contribute to car crashes. To prevent these things, health experts recommend that middle and high schools start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. School districts are not following this recommendation, however, as five out of six schools start before then. Listen to more about this ongoing public health issue.
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November 6, 2014
4:00
When people don’t get enough sleep they aren’t able to think clearly, but why? A new study has uncovered what happens in the brain of animals as they sleep. These findings shed light on why people and animals need sleep and help researchers better understand the links between sleep and Alzheimers. Listen to this public radio story about why sleep is important to brain health.
Read MoreSeptember 1, 2014
2:10
High School students often begin class between 7 and 8 a.m. despite medical recommendations that schools start later to give student more time to sleep. The negative effects of sleep deprivation, including lower academic performance, has pushed some experts to argue that this is one of the least expensive ways to increase student performance. However, efforts to push back start times have a big roadblock: bus schedules. Listen to today’s public radio story to learn more about why the economics of an earlier school day might not work.
Read MoreAugust 29, 2014
4:53
Schools haven’t changed much in the last hundred years but as more schools embrace digital tools in the classroom, the traditional school building is likely to change. Today’s public radio story examines what the school of the future might look like. And designers are predicting that more flexible school spaces will cost less money to build.
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