Is Your Teen Getting Enough Sleep?

Kim Conte

teens consuming coffeeA new study in Pediatrics finds that instead of sleeping, more and more teens are consuming caffeine and "multitasking" at all hours of the night (which is defined as using technology such as texting, Web surfing, watching TV, gaming, etc.). Even more worrisome, the study shows that adolescents who stay awake and multitask the most were more likely to fall asleep during school—anywhere from two to eight times a day!

Experts say teens need at least nine hours of sleep a night; but the study found that the average teen gets only seven hours. Because teens who fall asleep during school are at risk for changes in academic performance, the report advises parents to keep TVs, cell phones, and computers out of teens' bedrooms and discourage teens from drinking caffeine after noon.

How many hours of sleep does your teen get a night?

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behavior, sleep, teens