The Silent Killer of Teens

The flashing school zone signs yesterday reminded me that the students in our community are heading back to the classroom. It's a time of transition for parents and their students. There are also challenges: clothes to be bought, school supplies to be purchased and backpacks to be replaced. Now parents have a new concern as health officials warn about the dangers lurking in the school lunchbox. For parents of many teenagers there is another issue. How do we get them out of bed in the morning?

We may want to label some teens as lazy or unmotivated, but the reality is the issue could be a lack of sleep. Sleep deprivation is the silent killer. Nation-wide 500,000auto accidents each year are blamed on drowsy driving. The greatest percentage of those involve teens. In addition, lack of sleep leads to poor concentration and low performance in school. Some educators even point to lack of sleep as the root cause of many discipline issues.

Doctors tell us teenager need 9.2 hours of sleep each night to function normally. The average teen gets only 7.5 hours. That's a deficit of almost two hours each night. No amount of extra sleep on the weekend is going to make-up for that deficit. Research on the circadian cycle of teens indicates how the issue is compounded. A teen's energy level is sustained longer in the evening, meaning their bodies want to stay up longer. Their reliance on coffee and energy drinks only exacerbates the problem.

The ideal solution would be to change their school day, delaying the start until 10:00 AM. I noted in this morning's paper that the high schools in the Dallas Independent School District (DISD) are beginning their school day at 9:00 AM. That's a step in the right direction.

What is a parent to do when facing this dilemma? For starters, discuss the concern with your teen. By providing them with the information you are giving them the opportunity to make the adjustments. You might also discuss ways that they might become more organized. A final option is to take the steps to structure their lives, enforcing a set time for them to be in bed with the lights out. As always, it's better to give them the information and to allow them to come up with their own plan. Remember, we're preparing them for that time when they will be on their own.