This story originally appeared in The Epoch Times

An advocate for the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, Jeffrey Rose applauds what he calls “early victories” like removing artificial dyes from foods and removing fluoride from municipal water systems. There is a lesser discussed health issue that the New York-based clinical hypnotherapist and sleep expert is pushing to be addressed—the lack of sleep among teenagers.

“There is chronic sleep deprivation across the country for all ages but it is especially significant among teenage students,” Rose told The Epoch Times. “High school kids are exhausted because they aren’t getting enough sleep, and that is contributing to chronic diseases and health conditions.”

Children between the ages of 13 and 17 should get 8 to 10 hours of sleep every 24 hours, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“Ideally, they should get at least nine hours but they’re not getting that. And a big reason why is how early many schools start,” Rose said.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend that both middle and high schools begin no earlier than 8:30 a.m.

Currently, over half of high schoolers start before 8:00 a.m., and over 20 percent of middle schoolers start at 7:45 a.m. or earlier, according to Start School Later.

Rose said he is a longtime friend of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and the two have discussed the initiative of starting school later. Rose traveled the country helping raise funds for Kennedy’s presidential campaign, and he told The Epoch Times his focus has shifted to promoting MAHA initiatives, including addressing sleep deprivation.

“There are so many important issues that the MAHA movement and Bobby Kennedy are addressing right now, and it’s exciting to so all of the progress that has already been made this year,” Rose said.

“The lack of sleep among high school students is not as widely talked about as other MAHA-related topics but getting high school start times pushed back would have a tremendous impact on health for children,” Rose added.

Sleep is foundational to health, and American children—particularly adolescents—face “a nationwide sleep crisis,” according to the report.

Declining sleep is one of the factors contributing to the crisis of childhood behavior in the digital age, the report pointed out.

The AASM praised the MAHA Commission’s comments about sleep deprivation among children.

The AASM cited CDC data that show more than 80 percent of middle schools and high schools start before 8:30 a.m., and how less than 23 percent of high school students “get sufficient sleep on an average school night.”

The organization also referenced a bill previously introduced in Congress, the “ZZZ’s to A’s Act,” which would mandate a federal study to examine the relationship between school start times and adolescent health, well-being, and performance.

In the June 30 letter, the AASM asked the MAHA Commission to support such a study.

Sleep deprivation can lead to students turning to alcohol and marijuana to relax, and Adderall or Ritalin to focus, Rose explained.

“When kids get more sleep, they have stronger immune systems, perform better in the classroom and in sports and extracurriculars, have better attendance, and get in fewer car accidents,” Rose said.

California became the first state to require later school start times in 2022. Middle schools begin no earlier than 8 a.m. while high schools start no earlier than 8:30 a.m., according to the National Education Association (NEA).

Florida’s Gov. Ron DeSantis signed similar legislation into law in 2023, that was set to go into effect starting 2026.

That was erased with a new state law signed by DeSantis in June permitting school districts to be in compliance as long as they report their school start times and define steps taken to implement later start times.

School districts are also expected to outline the impact later start times would have and any unintended consequences to the school district, students, and the community.

The change was introduced after school districts argued that changing school start times would cost millions of dollars to change school bus routes.

The new law became effective on July 1.

Supporters in favor of later start times feel it improves student focus and health, while those not in favor argue that it will impact working parents and conflict with after-school activities.

The California Teachers Association and the California Schools Board Association oppose later school starting times because of these reasons.

According to the NEA, students without enough sleep “are more likely to suffer from symptoms of depression, perform poorly in school, and not engage in daily physical activity.”

“Student mental health should continue to be investigated when assessing the potential impacts of delayed school start times,” the report stated.

As a clinical hypnotherapist, Rose told The Epoch Times that he works with multiple teenagers who are suffering from ADHD, depression, anxiety, and other conditions that he believes can stem from a lack of sleep.

“We should increase education on the importance of sleep and make it easier for teenagers to have an opportunity to finish their sleep, which is impossible because the average start time for high schools is 8 a.m., so they have to get up at 5:30 or 6,” Rose said.

“That especially happens in September and October, after school starts again,” Rose added. “We don’t prioritize sleep as a society, but a lack of sleep is a major factor in chronic diseases and mental health.”