Wake-up call: Overactive teens need their sleep

8:07 PM Tuesday, November 17, 2009

To some degree, it seems that sleep deprivation is becoming a national pastime.

Instead of recognizing a good night’s sleep as a necessity, many adults now see it as a luxury, while many teens simply consider it a temporary interruption to their growing social lives.

I believe it’s time for a wake-up call.

Better yet, it’s time to add a more functional snooze button to the overactive lives of teenagers.

Studies have shown that teens need more sleep than adults or younger children. In fact, teenagers need, yes, need, between nine and 10 hours of sleep per night in order for their bodies and brains to fully function.

Yet the average teen only gets about six and one-half hours of sleep per night.

This is a major problem because the body uses full, restful sleep as a time for healing, restoring and repairing itself, as well as for strengthening the immune and nervous systems. It also uses sleep to release a much-needed hormone that directly impacts growth and metabolism.

We continually hear that the health of our nation’s children is declining. In today’s youth, there is higher incidence of Type 2 diabetes, obesity, emotional problems and depression.

Research has revealed that sleep deprivation plays a part in this.

Physically, lack of sleep compromises the immune system. This makes a sleep-starved teenager more susceptible to illness, slower recoveries, and recurring ailments. It can also bring on dramatic weight gain, severe migraines, diabetes, and skin problems (such as acne).

As well, sleep deprivation has played a part in car crashes being the leading cause of permanent injury and death in drivers aged 16-19.

Beyond these threats, sleep deprivation alters important processes in the brain, which can result in detrimental consequences, both mentally and emotionally.

Without enough rest, the mind falters in its ability to think, comprehend, learn, react quickly, handle stress or process emotions. If lack of sleep becomes a chronic problem, concentration levels plummet, memory and the ability to problem-solve become impaired, irritability increases, and negative mood swings can become severe.

A teenager’s entire life can be impacted through adverse effects such as faltering grades, disciplinary problems, aggressive actions, drug or alcohol use, deep depressions, or even suicidal tendencies.

None of this is worth losing sleep for.

To help children flourish, parents of middle school youth need to get them into a correct sleeping pattern before they reach their mid-teens. If your teenager has already slipped into the bad habit of getting too little sleep, it is not too late to help them regain their footing.

Establish a consistent bedtime, remove stimulants (i.e. computers, televisions and cell phones) from the bedroom, cut out caffeine, encourage exercise, dim the lights at night, create a relaxing routine to help them unwind at the end of the day, and expose them to bright light in the morning.

The teen years only happen once in a lifetime, and it is an era that should offer youth the opportunity to mature, grow and set themselves up for a successful life.

Teach them well, and help them learn how to take healthy, productive habits into their adult years. While they may grumble about it today, they will thank you for it in the long run.

Curt Gillespie is senior vice president of Youth & Adult Services at Mental Health Services for Clark County.

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