Research on Teens Not Getting Enough Sleep
Research on Teens Not Getting Enough Sleep
What is so hard for teens these days to get enough sleep? Why are they never rested up and always tired in class? These are some of the many questions people have on teens and sleep.
Dr. Mary A. Carskadon a director of sleep says, “as children grow into their teens, their body clocks shift.” When their body clocks shift the teens become more night owls and stay out late and try to sleep in, in the morning.
A recent survey taken of 3,000 students at Providence high school showed that 85 percent of the students were not alert at the start of class because they weren’t getting enough sleep. To make up for sleep missed during the week teens tend to sleep too much on the weekend. They don’t get enough sleep during the week due to the balancing of academics and extracurricular activities. This causes teens to be more tired during the week in which they have to go to school.
“The body cannot function normally on such variable schedules,” Ferber says. “Besides physiological considerations, part of the problem is the school schedule requiring wake-up times that impose unrealistic bedtimes. Sixteen or seventeen year olds need about nine hours of sleep and often they’re getting only about five during the week and twelve on the weekends.”
Many students today have a common sleep disorder called insomnia. It is a condition in which people frequently are unable to get enough sleep. They often wake up frequently during the night, or wake early and are unable to go back to sleep. Long term insomnia however can be serious enough to ruin the person who suffers from its life.
There are tons of sleeping disorders and many are among the teens in this society today. Some common sleeping disorders include OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea), Narcolepsy, Gastroesophageal Reflux, and Restless Leg Syndrome. These are some of the most common although researchers found nearly 100 different sleep disorders.