A new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that the common practice of less sleep for teenagers can actually have deadly consequences.
Many parents express concern that their adolescents are not getting enough sleep. In fact, it is common for teenagers to go to sleep late (midnight or even later) and then wake up early for school. In most districts across the country, the high school students start school earliest—sometimes as early as 7:30 AM.
The study analyzed questionnaires from more than 50,000 high school students across the years 2009, 2011, and 2013 and found that teens who get less than seven hours of sleep on school nights are more likely to engage in risky behaviors, such as texting or drinking while driving and not wearing a seatbelt. This is when compared to teenagers who sleep for at least nine hours each night.
Jane Croft, one of the study’s co-authors and chief of the epidemiology and surveillance branch of the National Center of Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, stated surprise that lack of sleep resulted in such an impact.
This study shows a need for more importance to be placed on sleep health, and for later start times for schools as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
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