Teens need 9 to 10 hours of sleep each day. Yet nearly 90% of teens do not get enough sleep, which can harm their health and their performance in school. Some get less than half of what they should
Only about 7% of girls and between 8 and 9% of boys say they get 9 to 10 hours of sleep each night, which is the amount set as a guideline by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The older the teen, the less sleep he or she is likely to get. By twelfth grade--senior year in high school--95% of teens are not getting enough sleep.
Generally girls do worse at getting enough sleep than boys. They are more likely to get 5 hours or less of sleep each night and less likely to get the full 9 or 10 hours they should.
There are differences by race as well. Black teens are significantly more likely to get 5 or less hours of sleep.
Getting enough sleep is vital for teens. Sleep plays an important role in memory, attention, emotional well-being, and overall physical health.
This finding is based on surveys of teens conducted by the U.S. government as part of the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System. Every two years, the survey contacts between 12,000 and 15,000 high school students and asks about their health habits, including how much sleep they get.
There are several reasons why teens don't get enough sleep, said Charles Basch, a professor of health and education at the Teacher's College at Columbia University in New York and an author of the study. He noted that too much homework, anxiety or depression, or prescription drugs can interfere with sleep.
However, a leading factor is that school starts too early for teens. "More and more attention is being focused on the start times of schools, with the idea being that very early class schedules do not serve good sleep patterns," Basch said.
The study was published in the CDC journal Preventing Chronic Disease and was reported on at Healthday.com.
