Dr. Jared Saletin Discusses Sleep and School Start Times on WPRI
On Tuesday, Dr. Jared Saletin sat down with 12 News anchor Kim Kalunian, along with teacher and parent Sarah Fulford, to discuss the importance of a good night’s sleep for school-aged children and adolescents.
During the discussion, Dr. Saletin highlighted the importance of sleep for all aspects of functioning, including attention, learning, mood, memory, and growth.
He went on to discuss the role of melatonin and exposure to blue light in winding down before bed, how much sleep is “enough” for kids and adolescents, and how school start times interact with teenagers’ circadian rhythms—affecting sleep quality and morning grogginess, even when sleep duration is adequate.
The discussion concluded with recommendations for strategies to improve sleep hygiene during the back-to-school season.