Lack of sleep
Many of the nation's adolescents are falling asleep in class, arriving late to school, feeling down and driving drowsy because of a lack of sleep that gets worse as they get older, according to a new poll released by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF).
adolescents (ages 11 to 17), the NSF's 2006 Sleep in America poll finds that only 20 percent of adolescents get the recommended nine hours of sleep on school nights, and nearly one-half (45 percent) sleep less than eight hours on school nights.
While most students know they're not getting the sleep they need, 90 percent of parents polled believe that their adolescent is getting enough sleep at least a few nights during the school week.
Adolescents who get insufficient amounts of sleep are more likely than their peers to get lower grades, while 80 percent of adolescents who get an optimal amount of sleep say they're achieving A's and B's in school.
Sixth graders report they sleep an average of 8.4 hours on school nights, while 12th graders sleep just 6.9 hours - 1.5 hours less than their younger peers and two hours less than recommended.
While nine out of 10 parents state that their adolescent is getting enough sleep at least a few nights during the school week, more than one-half (56 percent) of adolescents say they get less sleep than they think they need to feel their best.
Overall, 7 percent of parents think their adolescent may have a sleep problem, whereas 16 percent of adolescents think they have or may have one.
"Irregular sleep patterns that include long naps and sleeping in on the weekend negatively impact adolescents' biological clocks and sleep quality - which in turn affects their abilities and mood," said Mary Carskadon, PhD, who chairs the 2006 poll task force.
In terms of racial/ethnic comparisons, black adolescents report getting 7.2 hours of sleep on school nights, as compared to 7.6 hours reported by Hispanic adolescents, 7.4 hours by other minorities and 7.7 hours by
adolescents (ages 11 to 17), the NSF's 2006 Sleep in America poll finds that only 20 percent of adolescents get the recommended nine hours of sleep on school nights, and nearly one-half (45 percent) sleep less than eight hours on school nights.
While most students know they're not getting the sleep they need, 90 percent of parents polled believe that their adolescent is getting enough sleep at least a few nights during the school week.
Adolescents who get insufficient amounts of sleep are more likely than their peers to get lower grades, while 80 percent of adolescents who get an optimal amount of sleep say they're achieving A's and B's in school.
Sixth graders report they sleep an average of 8.4 hours on school nights, while 12th graders sleep just 6.9 hours - 1.5 hours less than their younger peers and two hours less than recommended.
While nine out of 10 parents state that their adolescent is getting enough sleep at least a few nights during the school week, more than one-half (56 percent) of adolescents say they get less sleep than they think they need to feel their best.
Overall, 7 percent of parents think their adolescent may have a sleep problem, whereas 16 percent of adolescents think they have or may have one.
"Irregular sleep patterns that include long naps and sleeping in on the weekend negatively impact adolescents' biological clocks and sleep quality - which in turn affects their abilities and mood," said Mary Carskadon, PhD, who chairs the 2006 poll task force.
In terms of racial/ethnic comparisons, black adolescents report getting 7.2 hours of sleep on school nights, as compared to 7.6 hours reported by Hispanic adolescents, 7.4 hours by other minorities and 7.7 hours by