Cranky teens sleep-deprived

Sometimes we'd get so frustrated with our teens, wondering if anything we'd taught them about good manners, polite speech, and respect had sunk in. Not to mention getting them up for school without the repeated bleating of a bull horn. Somehow as they reached their 20s, things changed as if by magic. Presto! They'd been listening after all.

Now we better understand why: Sleep, or lack thereof. And more sleep for their still-developing brains (including a full 25 percent of that judgment area, the prefrontal cortex), desperately needed but rarely procured. And hormones and rapid growth spurts complicating the effects, such as the crankies.

Sleep deprivation messes with the head; ask any torturer.

Teens need more sleep to be healthy and think properly - nine to 10 hours per night, depending upon the study consulted. All agree that they need more than they will as adults, and all agree they aren't getting it. School schedules and demands have made that much worse, according to the latest study on teens and sleep. Their brains simply aren't awake that early; it's not a matter of willpower.

News flash: Homeschooled students sleep better, although nearly half of them not as much as they ideally should. The first study to specifically compare sleep patterns of public and private school students to homeschoolers, it concluded that 55 percent of homeschooled teens got the optimal amount of sleep per week, compared to just 24.5 percent of those who attend public and private schools.

"We have a school system that is set up so that the youngest children, who are awake very early in the morning, start school latest, and our adolescents, who need sleep the most, are being asked to wake up and go to school at a time when their brains should physiologically be asleep," said Lisa Meltzer, PhD, lead study author and sleep psychologist at National Jewish Health in Denver.

That's counterintuitive.

The researchers concluded that at best, public/private school students average seven hours nightly. By the end of the week they are at minimum 10 hours behind the body's schedule, which continually compounds for years.

This affects every aspect of functioning (learning, concentration, behavior, moods), already limited in teens whose brains are literally not fully formed anyway. No wonder they can sleep all day on weekends; they're not lazy, just chronically behind.

Sending them to sleep early isn't effective, say experts. Aside from practical issues such as homework, the body's clock just isn't wired that way and sleep-triggering hormones shift during the teen years. Forcing them to sleep ahead of schedule simply doesn't work, and can even make falling asleep at the natural time harder, from frustration.

Until or unless school districts consider changing high school schedules to adhere to well-established science, Dr. Metzer suggests (for all ages):

1. Electronics-free bedrooms. TVs, computers, and phones distract and delay sleep.

2. Don't look at any screens 30 to 60 minutes before bed time, to reduce mental stimulation.

3. Most importantly, set a consistent routine, with set (and quiet) bed and wake times. Regulating the body's internal clock improves sleep quality.

"Sleep is the best meditation." - Dalai Lama

Sholeh Patrick is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network. Contact her at sholehjo@hotmail.com.