How Can Teens Get the Sleep They Need?
Published on in Children's View
Published on in Children's View
Louis Bell, MD, Chief of the Division of General Pediatrics, shares the latest in medical thinking on an important topic: adolescent sleep
Insufficient sleep among American adolescents is a major public health problem. Recent studies indicate that nearly 70% of high school students don’t get the eight to 10 hours of sleep a night they need.
Adolescent health expert Kenneth Ginsburg, MD, MSEd, has devoted his career to helping teenagers build resilience. He is co-director of CHOP’s Center for Parent and Teen Communication, which is supported by donors including Spring Point Partners and the John Templeton Foundation. I asked Ginsburg to weigh in on the importance of sleep and offer tips to help adolescents maintain healthy sleep habits.
Many young people sacrifice sleep in the name of fun or in the pursuit of academic success, Ginsburg says. But sleep deprivation has a negative effect on our health, mood, family and social relationships, and ability to succeed. Stressful situations that are easily managed when well rested can push anyone over the deep end when fatigued.
Sleep is necessary to move newly learned knowledge into memory. So, it isn’t surprising that school and job performance decline with lack of sleep. When we teach our teens how to be efficient during the day, tuck their worries away at night, and recharge with restful sleep, we prepare them for a happy, healthy, successful future, says Ginsburg.
Ginsburg recommends the following tips to help adolescents — and everyone in your household — get the right amount of sleep:
For more helpful advice on all things related to teens, visit the Center for Parent and Teen Communication’s website at parentandteen.com.
Contributed by: Louis M. Bell, MD
Categories: Children's View Spring 2019