Pediatricians recommend teens get 9+ hours of sleep per night

By Julia Campisano

Teenagers across the states are all struggling to keep up with the early school schedules. 9 1/2 hours is what teens really need to get to function best says The National Sleep Foundation.

“I only get about eight hours of sleep, and I don’t think I need any more,” sophomore Riley Hall said.

Often, getting a whole 9 ½ hours of sleep is difficult under certain circumstances. For instance, many athletes have several practices/games a week. Not to mention the few who have them several times a day.  Add the day’s homework on top of all that, and that is one tired teenager.

“Teens have to balance the weight of many demands on their time,” according to the UCLA Sleep Disorders Center. “The biggest of these demands is school. Most schools start class very early in the morning. After a long day at school, teens may also have to study for hours at home. An early start and a lot homework can combine to make it hard for them to get to sleep on time.”

“I think I get like seven hours of sleep, but I still perform to the best of my ability in school,” sophomore Kyley Priddy said.

While sleep deprivation affects students often every day, what can one do to know about getting more sleep at night to prevent those daily desk dozes? The top three answers from “5 Ideas for Better Sleep”, from Kidshealth.org are:

1.Be Active– get at least 60 minutes of exercise a day. It decreases stress, and helps people get relaxed.

2. Stay away from drugs and alcohol– they actually disrupt sleep and increase the chance of a person waking up in the middle of the night.

3. Get rid of those electronics– light from your phone or T.V. can prevent your brain from telling the body to release the chemicals that make you sleepy.

Combine all these tips to help get back on track to getting more, restful, sleep habits, while keeping your head up during school hours and staying awake out on the field.