80% teenagers not getting enough sleep
City life can have a toll on a teenagers sleep requirements.
A research done by Dr. Preeti Devnani from Jaslok Hospital, Mumbai found that 8 out of 10 teenagers are sleep-deprived; she says, ‘Children and adolescents stay up late due to reasons like working parents coming home late, other social lifestyles and biological changes that take place during puberty’.
One student said, ‘Balancing sleep and school work is becoming harder and harder. I have no time to go out or enjoy being a teenager’.
All the same, sleep deprivation can lead to health issues ranging from making you sluggish to making you prone to mistakes, things that no one would like. Additionally, in children, it can lead to daytime drowsiness, headache, lower concentration, weight gain, depression and poor overall performance in school.
Needless to say, sleep-deprivation in adults leads to increased incidence of heart attacks, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes and loss of libido.
What should schools do – ideally schools should start around 8.30 in the morning and close around 3.30 in the afternoon. This will give enough time to children to grow as happy individuals with time for extra-curricular activities they wish to pursue and hopefully through subtle counseling make them sleep in time.
What should children do – avoid late night TV as, according to Dr. Iyer, sleep specialist attached to Hiranandani Hospital, Mumbai, the bright light of the TV can inhibit release of melatonin, a hormone than regulates sleep and wake cycles.
Written by: Dr. Ajay Sati.
