High school student Naomi Freeman is busy, like many of her peers. Freeman's six hours sleep a night is not unusual among teen-agers. It's also not healthy according to experts, who say millions of young people may be putting their health and education at risk by not making sleep a higher priority. Earlier this fall, experts recommended that schools adopt later starting times to fit the unique sleep patterns of teen-agers.
Kids are too sleepy to learn well.
They're too sleepy to be happy. It also suggests lifestyle changes to ensure adolescents get adequate rest. But it estimates that only 15 percent of young people get that much, with 25 percent of teens getting less than seven hours. Teen-agers don't need less sleep the older they get. We, as a society, are asking them to sleep at the wrong time.