[imarg]

This!

My wife used to tell me that kids should be asleep by 2100 because some study showed it is better for them. But what does 2100 mean? It is totally arbitrary. I could accept a study that would reference sunrise/sunset but a specific time?

I would always ask her "is this winter or summer time?" just to show how this does not really make sense. Other times I would say "what if we lived right at the point where a timezone changes?". A few meters difference means 1 hour difference. Which 2100 is the correct one? Or what if 2 people live in the same timezone at the opposite ends of it?

I believe most of these studies are performed in the USA. I have never lived there (I am in Greece, have also lived in Germany) but the feeling I have from some movies and shows is that there are places in USA where the sun comes up at 0500, maybe earlier (and accordingly also sets early). I do not think that the sun ever rises that early here (I actually just looked, throughout the year the earliest is ~0600 summer time). It is only natural to also have different habits on when to wake up/go to bed. And also 2100 (or whatever other time) to mean something else entirely.

a quick search did not verify this

[giantg2]

"I would always ask her "is this winter or summer time?" just to show how this does not really make sense."

If the rest of your schedule keeps the same numeric time, then this does make sense. If your schedule allows for 9 hours of sleep before waking up for school, then you're still getting 9 hours. If you changed the numeric value, then it would either 8 or 10 hours since the school start time retains its numeric value.

"I believe most of these studies are performed in the USA."

The study being discussed is from Singapore.

[imarg]

My argument with my wife was not about the duration of sleep (nor has this anything to do with the schedule) but at what time a kid should go to bed. The reasoning behind this is that if a child goes to bed later it would be bad for brain development (or something) even if sleeping the required hours.

When I said that most studies are from the USA I was referring to studies in general (and about the children in particular) and not on the one discussed here. I confess, I might have been carried away a little because this has always been my pet peeve.