Trending

Early school starts may be hazardous to kids' health, CDC says

A 2015 report from he Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says early school starts may limit sleep for students.

ATLANTA — Students throughout the ages have been saying that school starts too early, but according to one report, they may be right.

A 2015 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that students are not getting enough sleep due to classes that start before 8:30 a.m.

Stay with WSB-TV for all your Back 2 School coverage. Make sure to join Channel 2's Fred Blankenship, Linda Stouffer, Brian Monahan and Mark Arum every day on Channel 2 Action News This Morning starting at 4:30 a.m. for news, traffic and weather every 10 minutes!

It's those early starts that are making it difficult for teens to get the sleep they need, leaving them chronically sleep-deprived and exhausted.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that teens ages 13 to 18 get 8 to 10 hours of sleep a day. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, their natural sleep rhythms make it difficult for them to fall asleep before 11 p.m.

[RELATED: Letting kids sleep in could save U.S. $9 billion a year, study says]

Because of the lack of sleep, teens who get too little sleep are more likely to be overweight or depressed. They may also do poorly in school and try tobacco, alcohol and drugs, according to AASM.

Two-thirds of teens say they get less than eight hours a sleep a night, according to the CDC.