Teens And Sleep

Sleep is critical for some body functions and brain activity.  Consequently, not sleeping can be harmful. Teenagers tend to have irregular sleep patterns.  They like to stay up late and sleep in on the weekends.  These irregular patterns mess with your biological clock and hurt the quality of your sleep.

Teens need about 8 to 10 hours of sleep per night. Most teens do not get enough sleep.

Your body will get the sleep it needs even if the timing is inconvenient.  You don’t want to fall asleep in class, while driving, or at party.  Remember sleep is vital, and your brain can and will shut you down if it needs rest.

Lack of Sleep:

Makes you look bad and can contribute to acne and breakouts.

Makes you feel moody and impatient.

Causes difficulty with learning, listening, concentrating and solving problems.

Can lead to depression.

 

Getting a good night’s sleep:

Will help you eat better.

Will help you manage stress.

Will help memory recall.

Key Points

  • 1During adolescence biological sleep patterns naturally shift to later times for sleeping and waking.
  • 2One study found that only 15% reported sleeping 8 1/2 hours on school nights.
  • 3Teens can and do suffer from from treatable sleep disorders, such as narcolepsy, insomnia, restless leg syndrome or sleep apnea.

…drowsiness and falling asleep at the wheel cause more than 100,000 car crashes every year.


Healthy Sleep Habits:

No caffeine close to bedtime.

Naps are good but not near bedtime.

Do not drive when tired.

Stick to a consistent sleep schedule.

Don’t eat drink or exercise close to bedtime.

Avoid the TV and computer in the hour before bed.

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Written by HealthStatus
Medical Writer & Editor

HealthStatus has been operating since 1998 providing the best interactive health tools on the Internet, millions of visitors have used our health risk assessment, body fat and calories burned calculators. The HealthStatus editorial team has continued that commitment to excellence by providing our visitors with easy to understand high quality health content for many years.

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