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CDC Report Says Teens Not Getting Enough Sleep, Engaging in More Risk Behaviors

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A new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report says most teens are not getting enough sleep at night and that brings a number of risks.   Almost 70% of high school students are not getting the recommended hours of sleep on school nights according to the study based on a national Youth Risk Behavior Survey.

Lela McKnight-Eily, the study’s lead author, says the insufficient sleep can increase certain risk behaviors such as substance use, feelings of hopelessness and physical fighting.

McKnight-Eily, a clinical psychologist and epidemiologist at CDC, says there may be many factors affecting the lack of sleep. She says there’s a shift in the circadian rhythm that accompanies puberty that makes teens want to go to bed later and wake up later.  She says in addition, they have  increased access to technology, including cell phones, the internet, and television that’s available all night (Moms and Dads- remember when TV stations “signed off” at night?)

 McKnight-Eily says lack of sleep may affect cognitive ability, perhaps leading to high risk behaviors.  She adds that the substance abuse or depression could be leading to the lack of sleep, or could be a form of self-medication due to the lack of sleep. She says with obesity rising, some teens may have underlying health conditions that are affecting their sleep.

McKnight-Eily says there are ways to improve a teen’s sleep. She says having a regular sleep schedule, going to sleep in a dark and quiet environment, removing distractions from the room, avoiding caffeine and stimulating foods several hours before going to sleep and getting adequate exercise can help.  She says it’s important to recognize this as a significant public health problem.

More Outdoor Time Could Help Kids Get a Better Night’s Sleep

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A new parent’s guide from the National Wildlife Federation says kids could get a better night’s sleep if they spent more time outdoors.   “Green Time for Sleep Time” calls for rebalancing the amount of time children spend in front of screens such as TVs, computers and gaming systems and the amount of time they spend outdoors.

Kevin Coyle , Vice President for Education and Training at the National Wildlife Federation, says kids spend about 7 to 8 hours on screen time a day compared to about a half hour outside. He adds most of the outdoor time is related to organized sports.

Coyle says they found a lot of scientific evidence that children who spend the most time on electronic media have trouble sleeping because of the way it interacts with their brain. He says the brain waves literally scatter when they play electronic media.  He says when they’re in a more soothing, green setting; their brain waves become more tranquil.

Coyle says exposure to natural light normalizes the body’s internal clock. He says children also get better exercise when they’re outdoors, burning up more energy.  The federation wants parents to think as much as they can about ways for children to get some more outdoor time.

Coyle adds that a ten-year-old needs 11-12 hours of sleep a day. But he says typically that child will get more like 9 hours a day.  He says that means the average American child is an hour to two hours a day sleep deprived.

Coyle says people who remember spending hours a day playing outside in the summer or going outside after school every day- those patterns are gone.  He says the kids are basically inside most of the time.