As a parent, it is your responsibility to help your child be as healthy as possible. This includes not letting them drink water from the toilet, taking them to the doctor, and helping them get an adequate amount of sleep. Unfortunately many teens today stay up very late.
Teens will stay up late often surfing online, sending text messages, watching TV, and finishing homework they should have completed earlier. This can have serious health consequences. Here are a few reasons why you shouldn’t let your teen stay up late regularly.
It can increase their risk for depression.
A September 2010 article discussed a study that revealed that teens who stay up online have an increased risk for mental illness. It is possible that the rise in sleep deprivation in teens (because of the internet, texting, etc) is a reason for the increase in mental health issues about teenagers. You can read the full article here. Loss of sleep is linked to distress, which can lead to serious mental health problems such as depression.
They are more likely to be overweight and struggle with obesity.
Teenage night owls are more likely to face obesity. Another September 2010 article showed that not getting adequate sleep can contribute to obesity in both teens and adults. Some studies have revealed that lack of sleep can affect the body’s hormones which regulate appetite. You can read more about in the article here.
Sleep deprivation can affect their performance in school.
Lack of sleep can greatly affect your teenager’s school work, listening skills, cognition and much more. There are many articles and studies that discuss this risk. Check out this link here to learn about the research that links sleep deprivation with poor school performance.
When teenagers don’t get enough sleep, they are more likely to be very irritable. This can lead to aggressive behavior, such as screaming inappropriately at an opponent during a sports game. This kind of behavior can create a domino effect. For example, if a teen acts aggressively towards a friend, he/she could lose that friendship, and if he/she loses that friend, he/she could become depressed and so forth.
It can affect their driving.
Teenagers are already at an increased risk for a car accident because of their age. When you add sleep deprivation into the mix, there is an even a higher risk for getting into an accident. Lack of sleep can prevent them from making appropriate judgments, having quick reflexes and more. Check out this link for more details.
Sleep deprivation can affect your teenager’s future.
Sleep deprivation can greatly affect your teen’s future. For example, if he/she does poorly in school, he/she may not have the grades to get accepted into the college of his/her choice. In addition, as it can increase his/her risk for obesity, he/she might be more likely to have diabetes and other health problems in the future. Sleep deprivation can be the spark that creates a fire of a multiple of problems.
Teenagers require roughly 9.25 hours of sleep. Some may need more, some may need a little less. If your teenager is not getting an adequate amount of sleep, it’s time to make some changes. Your efforts can possibly save his or her future. It might be time to cut back on extra-curricular activities. You might need to remove a computer or TV from their room, and strictly enforce a “lights out” rule.
For more parenting advice, please read “10 Things Parents Should Say to their Teenagers” and “What is Sibling Bullying?” You also might check out “Should I Let Me Kid Smoke Weed?” and “7 Random Parenting Tips and Advice.” Happy Parenting!
SOURCES:
Personal Experience
www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1308182/Online-night-owls-risk-mental-illness-Sleepless-nights-blamed-rise-teen-depression.html
http://www.livescience.com/health/sleep-deprivation-increases-teen-obesity-risk.html
http://nysut.org/research/bulletins/981202adolescentsleep.html
http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/sleep-topics/teens-and-sleep
http://www.geico.com/information/safety/auto/teendriving/sleep-deprived/
