How Many Hours of Sleep Should People Ages 11-17 Get Each Night?
For people of any age, getting adequate sleep is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. Throughout adolescence, however, changes in body chemistry trigger alterations in sleep patterns. What might look to a mother like a lazy teenager is actually an individual whose internal clock and daily schedule have diverged.
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Sleep Necessary
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In mammals, there is a hormone (a chemical messenger released by the pituitary gland) called melatonin that regulates our daily sleep cycle and is released around sunset in adults. In adolescents and teenagers, however, internal clocks are slowed and melatonin isn't released until late in the evening. This means that even after waking up early in the morning and spending the entire day awake working, some teens aren't physiologically tired until after midnight. Dr. William C. Dement of Stanford University says that on average, teenagers need about 9.5 hours of sleep nightly, compared with about eight hours for adults.
Adolescent Sleep Habits
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According to research by the National Sleep Foundation, about 85 percent of adolescents don't get enough sleep on school nights. Many of these young adults try to erase their sleep debts on the weekends by sleeping in on Saturday and Sunday mornings. A major indication of sleep deprivation is feeling tired in the middle of the day, just before or after lunch; any student who has felt like falling asleep around 1 p.m. can attest to this. Continued sleep deprivation can lead to irritability, difficult mornings, falling asleep in class and reduced performance in school.
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Benefits of Sleep
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Sleep is deeply involved in the learning process, allowing the brain to assimilate new information. In addition to this, a lack of sleep hinders individuals' performance in cognitive tasks such as driving or taking a quiz. According to the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School, "...concentration, working memory, mathematical capacity, and logical reasoning are all aspects of cognitive function compromised by sleep deprivation." It also mentions that the area of the brain that handles complex reasoning and logical thought are especially susceptible to sleep deprivation.
Considerations
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When dealing with an unpredictable adolescent sleep pattern, remember that each person's body is different; eight hours may be all some people need to operate at full capacity, while other adolescents will be reaching for the snooze button. Experiment with different sleep schedules and keep track of which ones leave you feeling most refreshed. Also, taking naps throughout the day can help students erase their sleep debt; try sneaking a short nap (about 30 minutes) into your schedule right after classes, or before sports practice.
Tips for Healthy Sleep
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The most important aspect for healthy sleep is making a schedule and sticking to it until it becomes a habit. Along with this, try to wake up and go to be early each night. This way your mornings will be more productive and your body will benefit more from a full night's rest. Try to avoid big, greasy meals right before bed, and instead opt for a light snack such as pudding or yogurt.
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References
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- Photo Credit Adequate sleep is especially important for adolescents' growing bodies; pedrosimoes7: Flickr
