Many of the nation's adolescents are falling asleep in class, arriving late to school, feeling down and driving drowsy because of a lack of sleep that gets worse as they get older, according to a new poll released today by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF).
Caffeine plays a prominent role in the life of today's adolescent.
Three-quarters of those polled drink at least one caffeinated beverage every day, and nearly one-third (31 percent) consume two or more such drinks each day.
Adolescents who drink two or more caffeinated beverages daily are more likely to get an insufficient amount of sleep on school nights and think they have a sleep problem.
Technology may also be encroaching on a good night's sleep.
-- Watching television is the most popular activity (76 percent) for adolescents in the hour before bedtime, while surfing the internet/instant-messaging (44 percent) and talking on the phone (40 percent) are close behind.
-- Boys are more likely than girls to play electronic video games (40 percent vs. 12 percent) and/or exercise (37 percent vs. 27 percent) in the hour prior to bedtime; girls are more likely than boys to talk on the phone (51 percent vs. 29 percent) and/or do homework/study (70 percent vs. 60 percent) in that time.
-- Nearly all adolescents (97 percent) have at least one electronic item -- such as a television, computer, phone or music device -- in their bedroom.
-- Adolescents with four or more such items in their bedrooms are much more likely than their peers to get an insufficient amount of sleep at night and almost twice as likely to fall asleep in school and while doing homework.
"Many teens have a technological playground in their bedrooms that offers a variety of ways to stay stimulated and delay sleep.
Dr. Mindell notes that "the poll data suggest that parents may be missing red flags that their teenager is not getting the sleep that he or she desperately needs.
Parents can play a key role in helping their adolescents develop and maintain healthy sleep habits.
In general, it is important for parents and adolescents to talk about sleep --- including the natural phase delay --- and learn more about good sleep habits in order to manage teens' busy schedules.
For more sleep tips for parents and adolescents, as well as the Summary of Findings for the 2006 Sleep in America poll, visit NSF's Web site at http://www.sleepfoundation.org.
Using the targeted random sample, quotas were established by grade and race/ethnicity, with minority respondents being over sampled to reflect equal proportions of respondents by grade, as well as the actual distribution of race/ethnicity based on the U.S. census.
The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to improving public health and safety by achieving greater understanding of sleep and sleep disorders.
NSF furthers its mission through sleep-related education, research, and advocacy initiatives.
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