Is Lack of Sleep Killing Our Teens?By Editorial Staff We all know how important sleep is – if you don't, go without it (or without enough of it) for a few days and then see what happens, even in the short term. Now consider the established consequences of chronic sleep problems: increased risk of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, depression, heart attack, and stroke, among other health issues. Who's suffering? Anyone can experience sleep problems, whether short or long term, but research is revealing one population may be at particular risk: teens – and some of the consequences are issues that already keep worried parents awake at night. A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests teens who get less than seven hours of sleep a night are more likely to engage in one or more risky health behaviors including texting and driving, drinking and driving (or riding with a driver who'd been drinking), or not wearing a seat belt than teens who get nine or more hours of sleep nightly. Of course, all of the above behaviors increase the risk of serious injury or death. So, how can you help teens get better sleep? The Cleveland Clinic offers the following advice to help ensure teens get adequate sleep on a nightly basis:
To read the clinic's complete list of sleep recommendations for teens, click here. If you're a teen or the parent of a teen who's having trouble getting adequate, restful sleep, talk to your doctor about these and other solutions. Page printed from: http://www.toyourhealth.com/mpacms/tyh/article.php?id=2245&no_paginate=true&no_b=true |