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Every week, millions of teens do something they’d never admit to their parents.

In a recent National Sleep Foundation survey, 28 percent of teens say they doze off in class at least once a week.

“I fall asleep in class almost every day,” says 17-year-old Emily Mitchell.

“People wake me up all weird different ways,” says 15-year-old Earl Jourdine. “They’ll, like, throw a pencil at me or a piece of paper.”

And sometimes the teacher never even knows.

“I’ll put some, like, really, really dark sunglasses on,” says Earl. “I’ll just sit there and they won’t know my eyes are closed because they can’t see my eyes.”

According to the poll, students who get the least sleep also have the lowest grades.

“If you sleep greater than nine hours or up to nine hours a night,” says Dr. Jeffrey Durmer, the director of pediatric sleep medicine for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, “it’s noted to be associated with higher grade point averages. If you sleep less than six hours it’s noted to be associated with lower grade point averages – like C’s and D’s, versus A’s and B’s.”

And it’s hard to concentrate in class, he says, if you’re sleepy.

“I can’t think about anything except my warm, comfy bed at home – and how much better it would be to be there,” says 15-year-old Hannah Mitchell.

Experts say if your child is not performing well in school, sleep deprivation could be the cause.

“I think there are some warning signs,” says Dr. Durmer, “and some of the warning signs are if your child sleeps excessively on weekends.”

He says, if need be, ask the child’s teacher if he or she has been sleeping in class.

If the answer is yes, he says, set limits on work or extra curricular activities.

“A lot of children work,” says Dr. Durmer, “and work hours [of] more than 20 hours a week, [which] is really well known to be associated with excessive sleep loss.”

“If you don’t get sleep,” says student Emily Mitchell, “you can’t do what you come to school to do.”

The survey shows 14 percent of students arrive late to school at least once a week because they oversleep. 22 percent reportedly fall asleep while doing their homework. 28 percent of students, meanwhile, say they are too tired to exercise.

Also, of adolescents who reported being unhappy, tense or nervous, 73 percent feel they don’t get enough sleep – and 59 percent are excessively sleepy during the day.

What We Need To Know

• Parents should learn to recognize the warning signs that children are not getting enough sleep: difficulty in waking the child up for school, finding the child asleep while doing homework, reliance on caffeinated drinks to wake up, naps that last for more than 45 minutes or changes in the child’s behavior – depending on the amount of sleep they’ve been getting. (National Sleep Foundation)




• Set a consistent bedtime (even on weekends) that allows for the recommended nine or more hours of sleep a night. This applies even to high school students. (Dr. Jeffrey Durmer, M.D., Ph.D., Director of Pediatric Sleep Medicine, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta)




• Have kids avoid caffeine after lunchtime. (National Sleep Foundation)





• Talk to your child about time management. If he or she is staying up until one o’clock in the morning to finish homework, they’re not appropriately using time. If necessary, limit extra-curricular activities. (Dr. Jeffrey Durmer, M.D., Ph.D., Director of Pediatric Sleep Medicine, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta)




• Going to sleep with music or television in the background can stimulate the body’s arousal system, keeping kids awake longer. Remove television and other distractions from the child’s bedroom, to create a sleep-friendly environment. (Dr. Jeffrey Durmer, M.D., Ph.D., Director of Pediatric Sleep Medicine, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta)

Resources

• National Sleep Foundation
• Dr. Jeffrey Durmer, M.D., Ph.D., Director of Pediatric Sleep Medicine, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta)
• Emory Sleep Center

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