Thousands of youngsters are to get an extra hour in bed, as trials get underway for a groundbreaking series of research projects funded by the Wellcome Trust and the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF).

Oxford University is leading the investigation into whether later school times have a positive and tangible impact on academic achievement, as well as examining the effects of a sleep education programme.

Up to 32,000 pupils taking their GCSEs in over 100 schools are to be tracked, the university revealed.

The project is being led by Professor Russell Foster, director of the Oxford University Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute, and Colin Espie, Professor of sleep medicine.

Speaking to the BBC, Professor Espie said that it has long been known that sleep is important to our physical and mental wellbeing. That much is evident.

"[However], it's only recently that we've become engaged in the importance of sleep and circadian rhythm," he continued.

"We know that something funny happens when new teenagers start to be slightly out of sync with the rest of the world."

Society has determined this to be nothing more than sheer laziness, a disposition that is easily solvable with an earlier bedtime.

That is in fact a myth. Science, the expert continued, has shown that there are certain development changes during our teenage years which basically disrupt the normal circadian rhythm.

As such, youngsters are not as tired as we expect people to be when it gets to "normal" bedtime. Equally, even if they get their recommended eight hours, early mornings are still hard to cope with.

"Recent advances in our understanding of the neuroscience of sleep has shown that the body clock of teenagers is delayed,” commented Professor Foster.

"This biology, along with the impact of social media and other sociocultural influences, delays bed and wake times and greatly shortens sleep."