Nicole Russo-Ponsaran
Rush University, IL·Public Health & Epidemiology
As U.S. schools move middle and high school start times later, many are shifting elementary schools earlier, without data on whether early starts harm young children.
- Fields
Public Health & Epidemiology
Psychology
Education Research
- Topics
school start times
sleep health
circadian rhythms
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through Jun 2031
What they work on
- Determine whether sleep health, including school-night sleep length, weekend oversleep, social jetlag and daytime sleepiness, differs between night owl and morning lark kindergartners in early- and late-start schools, using wrist actigraphy and questionnaires.
- Determine whether reading, math and attention, measured by yearly tests and teacher reports, differ between night owls and morning larks in early- and late-start elementary schools through second grade.
- Test whether night owls show higher obesity risk, measured by body mass index percentile and parent-reported obesity-promoting routines, than morning larks in early- and late-start schools.
- Measure dim light melatonin onset, the evening rise of the sleep hormone melatonin in saliva, in 50 kindergartners to confirm sleep types identified by behavioral measures.
More about the research
Up to 30% of people, including young kids, are "night owls" who naturally fall asleep and wake later. Forcing early starts on them may cause lost sleep, a body clock out of step with the school day, learning and attention problems, and obesity. The team's preliminary data suggest early starts do harm young night owls.
Why it matters
Many school districts are making elementary schools start earlier without evidence it is safe for young children. By measuring how early start times affect sleep, learning and weight in night-owl kindergartners over three years, this study could give school boards and policymakers data to set healthier start times for all students.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
Lauren Hartstein
University of Arizona, AZ·Psychology·Early-career
Assess whether families of 5- to 6-year-olds with difficulty falling asleep can implement and accept two evening light-reduction strategies, using adherence measures and qualitative parent interviews after a two-week trial.
Caroline Hoyniak
Washington University in St Louis, MO·Psychology·Early-career
Identify which features of objectively measured sleep at age 3, captured by actigraphy and overnight polysomnography across both daytime naps and nighttime, correlate most strongly with early childhood depressive symptoms.
Brant Hasler
University of Pittsburgh, PA·Psychology·Early-career
Test how regular cannabis use and four weeks of abstinence change homeostatic sleep drive in 18-25-year-olds, using at-home sleep EEG headbands on nights with and without cannabis.
The school
Rush University: 7 labs on PI Pages, $139M a year on research, 26 research doctorates a year.
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