Sleep-Deprived Kids and Risky Behavior

The fact that most teenagers are sleep deprived is not news to most of us.

 

Think that sleep deprivation makes teens grumpy, emotionally labile, and likely to have poor attention spans? You are correct.

 

But that lack of sleep may mean more serious side effects than just poor learning the next day in class.

 

A recent study out of Harvard shows that sleep-deprived teens are significantly more likely to engage in risky behavior as well as being diagnosed with depression and suicidal thoughts.

 

Teens with less than 8 hours of sleep a night are more likely to self-report drinking alcohol, smoking, smoking marijuana, having unprotected sex, and feeling depressed and having suicidal thoughts.

 

In fact, the less sleep a teen reported, the higher their chances of reporting risky behavior.

 

Less than 7 hours of sleep per night correlated with 28% higher likelihood of underage drinking, 13% more likely to smoke cigarettes and 17% more likely to try drugs other than marijuana.

 

Kids with less than 6 hours of sleep had the highest rates of unsafe behavior, including unprotected sex. This group was also 3 times more likely to report having considered or attempted suicide when compared to those getting 8 hours or more.

 

It is no wonder suicide rates among teens are drastically increasing!  Not only are they dealing with societal stressors, school pressures, and major hormonal changes, but we are asking them to deal with these on less than 7 hours of sleep a night on average!

 

This newest study scared me as both a mom and a physician—if it scares you too, consider trying to implement some changes.

 

The barriers to teens getting a good night’s rest are many, and parents need to take a look at what barriers exist in their homes in order to figure out what to focus on:

 

For some it is online temptations: Surfing the web for hours is the perfect way to procrastinate so that 11 pm comes and goes and homework still isn’t finished. Most devices and internet servers offer ways to shut down the internet at a specific time nightly. Don’t worry, you can usually keep your own device connected if you deem it necessary. Even if they need the internet for their homework, this will give them a goal of finishing that work but a certain time.

 

Another option: Have children leave their phones outside their rooms in a common area to charge overnight at a specific time. The key is to rid them of the temptation to waste time on social media or chatting with their friends

 

For others it is diet and lifestyle: Eating dinner at 9 pm and then watching TV is only a good idea if you’re trying to tell your body to stay up for another 4 hours. Developing a healthy and consistent sleep pattern is key here.

 

Avoiding caffeinated drinks in the evening is a big help to us adults and our teens can learn from this too.

 

Try to avoid the trap of sleeping in on the weekends to “catch up” on sleep is another way to keep one’s circadian rhythm intact. Studies have proven time and again that we cannot catch up on sleep two days a week, and oversleeping on weekends only worsens a sleep pattern already disrupted.

 

For others, it is overscheduling: 4 pm sports followed by 7 pm tutor followed by dinner and then homework only began at 9:30 pm is setting teens up for trouble. When making your child’s schedule, consider how it affects their overall day, taking into consideration the importance of “down time” and time to finish homework.

 

Hormonal shifts: Yup, hormone changes in adolescence are also to blame for teenagers’ tendency to stay up late in the evening. Their melatonin levels tend to shift during the teens which lead to their natural reluctance to hit the sheets on time. Helping your child discover what they need according to what time they have to wake up is very important here.

 

Sit down and discuss these findings with your teen: Our kids actually do care about their health, they just have funny ways of showing it! By being honest about your concerns and presenting them with the risks they may face, teens are more likely to adapt to changes.

 

After all, they are our nation’s #1 multitaskers – they are just way too young to start living this way!