How much is enough?   It the number 7 or 8 or 9?   Nobody seems knows for sure, and they sorely under estimate the number.  It's sleep, of course, the free commodity that is misunderstood, disrespected, abused, and under-indulged   

Getting enough sleep is critical for our mental and physical health, quality of life and safety.  During sleep your brain is forming new pathways to help you learn and remember information.  Sleep enhances learning and problem solving skills, attention, decision making and creativity.  According to Judith Owens, Lead Author of a policy statement by the American Academy of Pediatrics says:  "Sleep is not optional.  it's a health imperative, like eating, breathing and physical activity."  

So why are our teenagers no getting enough sleep?  It's recommended that the average adolescent gt 8.5 to 9 hours of sleep a night.  Right.  But studies have found that 6% of students in the 10th grade and 3% in the 12th grade got the recommended amount of sleep.  And, 2 of 3 were found to be severely sleep-deprived, losing 2 or more hours of sleep every night.  

According to an article in this Tuesday's NYT's Well section(1), insufficient sleep in adolescents "increased the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and obesity. . . is also linked to risk-taking behavior, depression and suicidal ideation and car accidents.  

There's a movement for school classes to start later in the morning(2). Not only are tired teens suffering health risks, but safety as well.  In a 2008 study, classes that began at 7:20 -7:25 a.m. had a crash rate for 16-18 year olds 41% higher than a neighboring school that start classes at 8:40 to 8:45.  When adolescents reach puberty there a shift in circadiun rhythms that shifts the sleep time and makes it harder to fall asleep before 11.  To get enough sleep, they should be sleeping to 8 a.m., making it impossible to get enough sleep and get to an early morning class on time.  

Obviously, it gets worse with the electronics--the  omnipresent iPad, iPhone where games, texting and Facebooking that can grab teens' attention into the whee hours of the night.  And, to make it all worse, the blue-light from the screens can supress melatonin, the hormones that signals sleep.  

It gets more distressing.  Kids are overscheduled having sports, volunteer work and paid employment.  There's parental pressure to do well in school(3).  Some teens are from households with overcrowding, excessive noise, and safety fears which keep them from a restful sleep.  Catching up sleep on the weekends only shifts the internal clock, making it even harder to wake up for class on Monday.  

It all looks so bleak (to me).  While trying to curb the multi-liter Fanta orange soda, stimulating RockStar in over "20 amazing flavors" and the breakfast burrito from the corner 7-11, we should be encouraging more shut-eye for our teens, whether via parental intervention or saner school hours.

(1) Hard Lessons for Sleep in Teens:   http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/10/20/sleep-for-teenagers/ 

(2) To keep Teens Alert Schools Let them Sleep in:  http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/13/to-keep-teenagers-alert-schools-let-them-sleep-in/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0.,  

 Ansel Adams