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Junk Sleep and Teenagers

Are electronic gadgets impacting how much sleep kids get?

Sep 1, 2007

electronic gadgets cut sleep, pics 4 learning

Electronic gadgets are being banned in schools. How are they affecting students in the home?

Sleeping Patterns

We as a society are sleeping less. Our grandparents slept more than we do today. Of course, they didn't have 2 hour commutes to work, cable TV and other distractions. When it got dark, there was little to do.

Today, we sleep much less. A new British survey tells just how much less teenagers sleep.

The Sleep Council

The Edinburgh Sleep Centre is very concerned about teenagers damaging their health by not sleeping enough. Dr. Chris Idzikowski says, "This is an incredibly worrying trend. What we are seeing is the emergence of Junk Sleep - that is sleep that is of neither the length nor quality that it should be in order to feed the brain with the rest it needs to perform properly at school."

The Stats

The survey released on August 28, 2007 states that students are very distracted by electronic gadgets in their bedrooms. 1,000 teenagers were surveyed aged 12 to 16. 30 percent slept only 4 to 7 hours per night. The reason? They were busy

watching television,
using the computer,
listening to music on iPods or
on the telephone.

The recommended time for teenagers to sleep is 8 to 9 hours so the brain can rest properly to be alert in school the following day.

Work Regulations

Teenagers are limited to how many hours they may work per week. Working too many hours was affecting school so laws were put into place so that students could have enough rest to learn the following day. Employers are regulated but not the home.

Electronics in the Home

Just how prevalent are the electronic gadgets in children's bedrooms?

Nearly all the teenagers had a phone
Nearly all the teenagers had a music system or TV
Nearly 65 percent had all three

The survey found that 40 percent of the teenagers felt tired each day. Girls, ages 15 to 16, seemed to be the most tired. [Scientific American, sciam.com, August 28, 2007]

Teenage Schedule

Teens have always been busy in school.

School musicals,
sports,
speech,
mock trials,
student council,
volunteer work and
jobs.

However, in the past, students got home at 11:00, did some homework and went to bed. Today, students come home , don't do their homework, and get on the computer to check email and begin instant messaging everyone that has contacted them that day. Many are up until 1:00 a.m. socializing with other students they will see in just a few hours in school. Unfortunately, they will be going to school with a brain that has not regenerated to absorb new information.

Read previous articles on Educational Issues.

The copyright of the article Junk Sleep and Teenagers in Student Health Issues is owned by Barbara Pytel. Permission to republish Junk Sleep and Teenagers in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.