Go To Bed

If you have a teen at home, you may have noticed they are night owls. Gone are the set bedtimes of childhood as they spend endless hours in after school activities, at late night jobs or just in their room, awake and busy. Maybe it's homework, maybe it's video games, but getting them up the next morning is often difficult and stressful. Bleary eyed, they stagger out the door to meet the day.

Turns out the inconvenience is not the only issue with teens and their sleep patterns. It also puts kids at greater risk in serious situations. According to a new survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, students who get less than8 hours of sleep per night are 86 per cent more likely to seriously consider suicide and more than 60 percent more likely to smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol. The study further states that chronically tired high-schoolers also fight, have sex and use drugs more often than their well rested peers.

Experts say kids between the ages of 10 and 17 need 8.5 to 9 hours of sleep nightly in order to exercise good judgement. Two out of three adolescents don't get that much sleep, and that may be handicapping their ability to resist peer pressure and properly gauge the consequences of their actions. Sleep deprivation may be a cause or a symptom-either way, the issue needs to be addressed in a family.

More disturbing news from the same study. Other bad habits that contribute to fatigue: drinking lots of sugary pop, lack of exercise. and spending hours in front of the computer.

Getting teens to bed may not solve all their behavior problems, but sleep is critical to the repair process. It is just common sense to know rest is an important part of mental and physical health. It may be difficult, but parents need to set consistent bed times for their teens.

Shakespeare knew what he was talking about- Macbeth, mad with guilt and remorse, says it all.

Sleep that knits up the ravelled sleeve of care

The death of each day's life, sore labour's bath

Balm of hurt minds, nature's second course

Chief nourisher in life's feast.

chrissie