Teenagers can avoid tiredness by getting enough sleep at night.
American adults are often overworked and overtired. Many don't get the amount of sleep they need each night to support healthy blood pressure and clear decision-making. Adults often learn these unhealthy sleeping habits in when an increased class load and extracurricular activities cut into the time they used to spend sleeping. It shouldn't come as a surprise then that many teenagers don't get the sleep they need. Sleeping is important for the health, development and performance of high school students and should be emphasized by parents and teachers.
A Critical Part of Life
Sleep is as important to a teenager's overall health, as is healthy eating and physical activity, according to Carl E. Hunt, director of the National Institute of Health's National Center on Sleep Disorders Research. Without adequate sleep, teenagers are more prone to having difficulty concentrating, trouble learning and challenges controlling their emotions and impulses. It's easier to act out of anger, for example, when a person is sleep-deprived. It's also easier to get into a car accident or retain information learned in class or through reading.
Adequate Sleep
Experts from the National Institute of Health's National Center on Sleep Disorders Research report that teenagers need nine hours of sleep each night. Getting nine or more hours of sleep during the high school years facilitates alertness that leads to safety, learning and overall good physical health. People get between seven and eight hours of sleep each night through their 40s. Even from age 50 and older, experts still recommend getting at least six hours of sleep each night.
Teaching Sleep
The National Institutes of Health developed curriculum on sleep that parents and teachers can use to educate themselves and high school students about what sleep is and why it is important, as many teenagers do not understand this phase of life that all people spend about one-third of their lives in. Explain that sleep is the best antidote to sleepiness and not caffeinated products or energy drinks, which only combat the symptoms of sleepiness but don't deal with the underlying problem. Discuss healthy sleep habits with students, such as how setting a regular bedtime each night helps the body know when to fall asleep and to fall asleep faster and sleep better. Discuss the importance of regular exercise and of going to sleep in a quiet, comfortable and dark place each night.
Sleep Journal
Have high school students keep a sleep journal for a month. This journal is just a simple notebook where the student records how much sleep he gets each night. Have the student create a grid on each page with the days of the week running along the left side of the page and the week's dates along the top. Instruct students to write down when they go to bed, when they wake up and how many hours they slept on each day of the week. Encourage the students to make notes in the journal of days that they feel particularly tired or days that they feel energetic and look for patterns connected to the amount of sleep they're getting.
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