We all have that one friend that goes to bed past 1 am and wakes up at 6 am to get ready for school. Obviously that isn’t healthy but does the average teenager also miss needed sleep hours to function well?
The recommended amount of sleep for a teenagers developing brain is 9.5 hours. Most teenagers have busy lives with school and athletics. Just as I’m writing this I woke up at 5:30 am for training which made getting a full night of sleep impossible. I would have to be asleep by 8:00 pm!
Because of many external factors the average teen only gets 7-7.25 hours of sleep each night. This lack of sleep creates many problems that could be prevented like bad moods and lack of concentration.
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Why can’t teens get enough sleep?
As a child transitions into adulthood their sleep schedule drastically changes. Instead of early bedtimes and early morning starts it’s late nights and sleeping in. This is because sleepiness shifts around two hours later so if someone went to bed at 9:00 pm as a child, they wouldn’t be sleepy until 11:00 pm as a teen.
With going to bed at 11:00 pm teens would have to sleep in until at least 8:30 (assuming they went to sleep immediately and didn’t wake up in the night). This conflicts with school as it starts at 8:30. With a school system made without taking in consideration biological factors affecting teenagers it is no wonder that around 87% of us are chronically sleep deprived.
Long Term Effects
Sleep deprivation can lead to many health consequences that could be prevented. First of all lack of sleep increases a teens chances by 20% of becoming obese later into adulthood and of getting diabetes. With sweets and fast foods always a temptation we don’t need another factor pushing towards obesity.
Also lack of sleep can create mental health issues. If a teen gets only 6 hours of sleep they are 3 times more likely to be depressed. These are scary consequences but the good thing is they can all be avoided.
First of all schools need to realize that a later start time is needed. Next students need to try to go to bed earlier, even if they don’t feel tired. With a sleep schedule in place teens can manage to feel tired earlier and will notice enhanced mental capacities.
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