Is your teenager constantly tired? Irritable? Or getting low grades in school?
While many things can cause this, one huge factor affecting students is they aren’t getting enough sleep.
“With most high schools in the U.S. starting around 7:20 a.m. and with many teens going to bed between 11 p.m. and 12 a.m., sleep researchers worry teenagers are suffering an epidemic that is largely hidden.” (pbs.org)
Suggestions:
- If you’re a parent of a teenager, try to talk to them about how important it is to have a good sleep schedule, and to aim to sleep at least 10 hours. (Most teenagers get around 7 hours of sleep, that’s 2 and half less than they should be getting!)
- Ask your teenager how they feel after a good night’s sleep as opposed to how they feel if they do not sleep enough hours. Are they more aware, more able to deal with school, friend and family? What is the difference of their experiences?
- Encourage them to stay off technology an hour before bed to promote a more rejuvenating sleep.
- Advocate schools to start later and include the importance of getting enough sleep into high school education.
If you’re looking for more, the article: Adolescence and Sleep explains in depth the studies that support this issue and what to do.
source:https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/teenbrain/from/sleep.html
