You should know THIS about sleep.

Why Teens Need More Sleep Than Younger Kids

How Are Teens Affected When They Don't Get Enough Sleep?

Did You Know About the Benefits of Sleep?

Why Teens Need More Sleep Than Younger Kids

So how much sleep is enough? According to Johns Hopkins pediatrician Michael Crocetti, M.D., M.P.H. , teens need 9 to 9½ hours of sleep per night—that’s an hour or so more than they needed at age 10. Why? “Teenagers are going through a second developmental stage of cognitive maturation,” explains Crocetti. Additional sleep supports their developing brain, as well as physical growth spurts. It also helps protect them from serious consequences like depression or drug use.

How Are Teens Affected When They Don't Get Enough Sleep?

INCREASED MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES-In 2015, the Journal of Youth and Adolescence found that each hour of lost sleep is associated with a 38% increased risk of feeling sad or hopeless.
AFFECTS YOUR MOOD-Most people have experienced how sleep can affect mood, causing irritability and exaggerated emotional reactions.
POOR ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE-Lack of sleep limits a teen’s ability to learn, listen, concentrate, and solve problems. Teens may forget important information like names, numbers, and homework assignments when they repeatedly get less sleep then they should. Also, teens that sleep better have better memories. This is because sleep stimulates the neurons in the brain responsible for the storage of information in memory.
POOR ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE-Adolescents who don't get enough sleep might be jeopardizing their athletic performances as sleep directly affects how well an athlete performs.

Need Help Falling Asleep?

Keep your room cool.
Exercise earlier in the day, no later than 4 hours before bedtime.
Limit caffeine consumption as caffeine can make it difficult to fall asleep.
Set a consistent bedtime and try not to shift your sleep pattern more than 2 hours on the weekend.
Eat a large meal at night, about 3 hours before bedtime.
Develop healthy ways to manage stress.
Stop all screen-based activities an hour before bedtime. Put your phone away until the morning.

ZZZZZZZZZZZ

Dogs get it.

Need Help Waking Up?

To keep your energy level up and steady, eat a snack with a healthy mix of protein, healthy fat, and carbs, such as apples and peanut butter with some trail mix. A well-balanced diet is one of the best ways to establish good energy. Make sure to have some breakfast in the morning.
Drink plenty of water during the day. Being dehydrated does make you more tired.
Get some exercise: mow the lawn, walk the dog, play a game of basketball. When you raise your heart rate for even 30 seconds, your brain increases its neurological output and releases chemicals that wake you up.

Did You Know About the Benefits of Sleep?

Sleep benefits the brain and promotes attention, memory, and analytical thought. It makes thinking sharper, recognizing the most important information to consolidate learning. Sleep also facilitates expansive thinking2 that can spur creativity3. Whether it’s studying for a test, learning an instrument, or acquiring job skills, sleep is essential for teens4.

Given the importance of sleep for brain function, it’s easy to see why teens who don’t get enough sleep tend to suffer from excessive drowsiness and lack of attention5 that can harm their academic performance6.

Also, here is a warning. The next time you think about pulling an all-nighter to cram for a test, DON'T! Research shows that the brain consolidates memory (stores memory) while we sleep. In fact, during the first four hours of sleep, you store the procedural memories...like the steps of making a PBJ, or the procedure involved in learning to tie your shoe, etc. It is not until hours 4-8 of sleep that you actually start storing factual memory. In short, all those facts you were trying to memorize for tomorrow's test...unless you get a full night's sleep, your brain won't store that information. Pulling all-nighters doesn't work.

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