Early school timings may cause depression in your kids

Our body needs 8-10 hours of sleep every day and lack of it can cause serious health issues. A new study has found that if a child doesn't get sufficient sleep before waking up for school he may develop depression. Those children whose school starts before 8:30 am don't get the required amount of sleep needed for healthy functioning of the body.

"Even when a student is doing everything else right to get a good night's sleep, early school start times put more pressure on the sleep process and increase mental health symptoms, while later school start times appear to be a strong protective factor for teenager," said Jack Peltz, Professor at the University of Rochester in the US. School timings not only affect the sleeping habits but also the daily functioning of the body. It aggravates major health problems like obesity, heart disease and others in adulthood. 

The study, published in the journal Sleep Health, suggested that maintaining a consistent bedtime, getting between eight and 10 hours of sleep, limiting caffeine, turning off the television, cell phone and video games before bed may boost sleep quality as well as mental health.The researchers used an online tool to collect data from 197 students across the country between the ages of 14 and 17. The results showed that good sleep hygiene was directly associated with lower average daily depressive or anxiety symptoms across all students. 

Those who begin their schools after 8:30 a.m. have lower risk of depression. Researchers say that it may be possible because earlier starting students have more pressure on themselves to have quality sleep.

(With IANS inputs)