She is co-chair of the NSF Sleep and Teens Task Force that produced the new report. We hear many remedies for improving the education of our teenagers, remedies that address low test scores, behavior problems, class size, and teacher quality. He noted that sufficient sleep on a regular basis must be high on the list in discussions about criteria and standards for high quality education. The lack of sleep among America's adolescents is often a silent problem. In addition to trouble concentrating, sleepy adolescents are more prone to increased use of stimulants, negative moods, behavior problems, and difficulty controlling emotions, all of which are critical to school success.
Lack of sleep can also be a silent killer, especially when teens get behind the wheel.
It's time for high schools to synchronize their clocks with their students' body clocks so that teens are in school during their most alert hours and can achieve their full academic potential. School schedules and activities should be structured to accommodate adolescents' sleep needs and behaviors and circadian rhythms. Later school start times, which could result in teens being more alert and able to learn, is one approach that school systems should review. Principals, superintendents, and school boards should consider integrating sleep- related education in curricula so students can learn about the physiology of sleep, the consequences of sleep deprivation, and the importance of sleep to their overall health, along with nutrition and exercise. Teachers and other school personnel must be educated about adolescent sleep needs and patterns, taught to recognize signs of sleep related difficulties among their students, and report such symptoms to parents and school health providers.