When my daughter was in elementary school, my maternal radar could easily recognize a certain quality in her usually cheerful face that signaled trouble. But that was elementary school. I could no longer coax my now-teenaged daughter into spending a weekday morning catching up on sleep, even when it was what she needed most in the world. But this erratic routine, combined with normal adolescent hormonal shifts that also affect sleep patterns, meant that Chloe, like many teenagers, spent about half of every week in a state of sleep deprivation. And this is a serious health problem for teens.
Some researchers say up to half of U.S. teenagers fail to get enough sleep.
The National Sleep Foundation has determined that most adolescents need between 8.5 and 9.25 hours of sleep each night. Unfortunately, given that most high schools start at 8 a.m. or earlier, most kids are lucky to sleep between five and seven hours a night. Add to this the fact that more teenagers are working part-time and that homework loads are increasing, and it's no wonder that kids are exhausted and sleep researchers truly concerned. Other symptoms include anxiety, depression, memory deficit, decreased creativity, and a decreased ability to handle complex tasks and make sound decisions. Another consequence is impairment of the immune system.