Teen Texting Impact
Study finds teens are losing sleep to texting.
When it's lights out for teens their cell phones light up.
They're sending texts when they should be sleeping.
Dr. Peter Polos of JFK Medical Center in New Jersey surveyed 40 kids and teens.
It was a small sample of students, but they revealed late-night texting has the potential to translate into big problems during the day.
In addition to general fatigue kids who texted or surfed the internet late into the night were more likely to say they suffered from anxiety, depression, ADHD and learning difficulties.
"The impact of this over time is cumulative sleep debt, which is very difficult to pay back," says Dr. Polos.
More than three-quarters said they had trouble getting to sleep at night and many said they were awakened by texts in the middle of the night.
Experts recommend taking cell phones and computers out of kids' bedrooms so they can concentrate on getting a good night's sleep.
None of the 40 kids and teens surveyed was found to have healthy sleep habits.