LAS CRUCES — Every day ,I watch sleepy-eyed teens dragging into school late after classes have already begun. Some have coffee or an energy drink in their hands; most have missed breakfast, too — not an ideal way to start a day of learning! Yet they somehow fail to connect staying up late the night before with how they feel in the morning; and none of them realize that lack of sleep might be contributing to low grades, poor health or frequent accidents!

When I point this out, the most common response is "I don't need as much sleep as most people. I always stay up late." It is true that teenagers have a different circadian sleep rhythm than children, more suited to staying up late at night and sleeping in late in the morning. The problem comes with not being able to sleep in because of daily requirements like school, extra-curricular activities and jobs. Any parent of a teen is familiar with the daily struggle to get the child to sleep at a decent hour and out the door on time in the mornings. We are also seeing this problem trickle down into pre-teen and younger children. Busy parents may set an unhealthy example of sleep habits as well.

There have been many articles linking lack of sleep with poor attention span and short-term memory, all types of accidents and health problems such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease. We are all familiar with eight hours of sleep being the average requirement for adults. But children and adolescents require more to maintain their health. The National Sleep Foundation publishes a schedule of average daily sleep needs based on age:

Infants (3-11 months):14-15 hours

Toddlers (12-35 months):12-14 hours

Preschoolers (3-6 years): 11-13 hours

School agers (6-10 years): 10-11 hours

Adolescents (11-24 years): 9.25 hours

Adults: 8 hours

Elderly adults: Less than 8 hours

These numbers are just an average; some people need more, some less. Showing this schedule to your teen will not change bedtime behavior, but letting him or her figure out personal sleep needs can make a big difference. The opportunity to sleep in as late as they like might be a big incentive. Winter break from school (after the holidays) is an ideal time to try this approach.

Share this information with them as well:

How can you determine your personal sleep needs?

1. Set up a week or two that you can focus on your sleep and not allow disruptions or changes to your schedule.



4. After a few days, you will have paid off your "sleep debt" and you will begin to approach the average amount that you personally need.

5. Once you determine your need, try to set your bedtime at an hour that will allow you the sleep you require, while still waking up rested in time to start your day.

Just making this one change in daily habits will have a ripple effect on your entire life. Mornings will be less chaotic, you'll have time for breakfast, you won't be late to class, you'll improve grades and test scores, prevent accidents and optimize your health. What a great New Year's resolution!

Sky Armijo is the school nurse for LCPS secondary alternative programs. She can be reached at