Teenagers often do not get enough sleep and many are sleep deprived. Most teenagers need around 9 hours of sleep to be fully rested. However, most teens get less than 8 hours of sleep each night.
Some reasons for sleep changes in adolescents:
- The internal clock (also called the “circadian clock”) that regulates sleep shifts during the teen years.
- This shift slows the circadian clock causing teenagers to not be physically sleepy until about 2 hours later than younger children.
- School start times require teens to wake up earlier and after school social activities (e.g., clubs, sports, and jobs) often push bedtimes later.
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All these factors make it more likely for a teen to become sleep deprived. Sleep deprived teens may be irritable, moody, have attention/memory problems, and difficulty problem solving. These factors also hurt a teen’s ability to do well in school or in extra-curricular activities.