America’s Sleep Deprived Teens
lwalk89 October 16th, 2007
The National Sleep Foundation reports that adolescents are not getting the adequate amount of sleep they need each night. The recommended amount is nine hours of sleep a night, hardly what we are really getting. Our internal clocks, long periods of napping, inconsistent sleeping patterns, caffeine intake, use of electronic devices, and light exposure all influence the amount of sleep we get in a negative way. Letting parents know the insufficient amount of sleep you are getting and understanding the consequences of sleep deprivation will help teens to aviod it. I find it hard to go to sleep early and wake up at consistent times during the week especially with varying morning class schedules. Also, if our “internal clocks” make us stay up later as we become teenagers, why does our class times in high school get earlier? I don’t find it odd that so many teens are sleep deprived because of the way the school system is set up.
