Inner Nature: The need for sleep

By Vidya Rajan, Columnist, The Times The death-like appearance of sleepers has fascinated people for millennia; death is even euphemistically called “eternal sleep”. But why do we and other animals need sleep? A good night’s sleep is considered a key to a clear head, and most of us sleep between 6 and 8 hours. But some notoriously high achievers, including Leonardo da Vinci Nikola Tesla, and...

Survey suggests UCF students get more sleep after schedule change

By JP Phillips, Staff Writer, The Times Unionville High School is preparing to greet students on the first day of school–Aug. 27. EAST MARLBOROUGH — Unionville-Chadds Ford School District’s “Start Time Initiative,” implemented last year, may be reaping rewards. At Monday night’s School Board Work Session, Assistant Superintendent John Nolen compared two years of student “Cleveland...

School start time changes shouldn’t be rushed

Right now, it appears Unionville-Chadds Ford may be only district pushing for change By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times There has been increasing talk about changing the start time for middle and high schools in Chester County — driven largely out of Unionville — part of a larger dialogue going on nationally. While its clear that the science supports such a move — teens seem to have built-in...

Sleep is crucial to good health

Rest up! The holidays are coming. By Dr. Matthew Lapp, Columnist, The Times It’s that time of year again.  The clocks have been turned back, the leaves are falling, and the department stores have started decorating, so that must mean that the holiday season is upon us.  Along with the “most wonderful time of year” come to-do lists, deadlines to keep, and a host of added stressors.  With so...

Don’t overlook the need for rest and recovery

A few easy steps to help recharge your mind and body By Dr. Matthew Lapp, Columnist, The Times School has started, the days are getting shorter and cooler, and the summer months are slowly winding down.  For many people, this means the beginning of a busy time of year that doesn’t slow down until the summer months return once again.  With this in mind, I want to discuss a very important concept...