Teachers, parents, and schools need to make sleep more of a priority. In fact, sleep studies have shown that teenagers need between 8 and about nine hours of sleep each night, according to the report. In reality, only 15 percent of teenagers sleep for 8 hours or more during the school week and more than one-quarter of teenagers sleep less than seven hours. Lack of sleep can lead to poor grades and trouble concentrating in school, the foundation says. Sleepy teenagers are also more likely to have negative moods and behavior problems.
Drowsiness can even be deadly if sleepy teens choose to drive, the report warns.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, over 100,000 sleepy drivers cause traffic accidents each year. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., agrees lack of sleep is a problem for teens. Representative Lofgren recently introduced a bill in Congress called the Z s to A s Act. It is 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, she says. Later school start times will mean kids will leave school later thus keeping many youngsters off the streets before their parents get home, she says.