Teens Pay Price For Lack Of Sleep

Poll: Few Get Enough Shuteye; They're At Risk Physically, Emotionally

(CBS/AP) 

Brown Medical School Professor of Pediatrics Dr. Judith Owens warned Assuras there's more in a teen's life that's affected by sleep deprivation.

"They are moody," Owens said. "Depression is a concern. It affects every aspect of their lives."

The Sleep Foundation poll interviewed 1,602 adult caregivers and their children aged 11 to 17. It had a margin of error of 2.4 percentage points.

Among the findings:

Some 28 percent of high school students said they fell asleep in class at least once a week. In addition, 22 percent dozed off while doing homework, and 14 percent arrive late or miss school because they oversleep.

More than half of adolescent drivers (51 percent) have driven while drowsy in the past year.

Eighty percent of students who get the recommended amount of sleep are achieving As and Bs in school, while those who get less sleep are more likely to get lower grades.

More than one-quarter (28 percent) of adolescents say they're too tired to exercise.

Just 20 percent said they get nine hours of sleep on school nights; 45 percent reported sleeping less than eight hours.

Nearly all youngsters (97 percent) have at least one electronic item, such as a television, computer, phone or music device, in their bedrooms. Adolescents with four or more such items in their bedrooms are much more likely than their peers to get an insufficient amount of sleep at night. They are also almost twice as likely to fall asleep in school and while doing homework, the Foundation reported.

One teen told Assuras, "As soon as I get home, I'm online until I go to sleep."

Assuras notes that, for many teens, one solution to the sleep dynamic comes in a cup, with many saying they drink lots of coffee, espresso, and more.

The caffeine may help teens perk up during the day, Assuras points out, but it only masks the underlying biological reason for their sleep habits — the natural inclination to go to bed late caused by those natural body rhythm changes.

Some school districts, most notably the Minneapolis public school district, have been trying later start times for high schools, Assuras reports. Researchers have seen some benefits, but in many school districts, conflicts with bus schedules and after-school activities make such changes extremely difficult.

Assuras says, short of getting school start times changed, teens might want to take some advice from experts, who recommend saying goodbye to the entertainment zone in the bedroom, cutting out caffeine after lunchtime, setting up a daily sleep and wake-time routine, and being aware that trying to catch up by sleeping in on weekends throws off your natural body rhythm.

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©MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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