The Side Effects of Teens Not Getting Enough Sleep

Studies show that potentially 80 percent of teens do not get the minimum 9 1/4 hours of sleep doctors say they need each night. After adolescence, body rhythms naturally lean toward later bedtimes and later waking times, incompatible with school hours. This means kids cannot fall asleep until later at night and the alarm clock wakes them up too early. Plus, many teens work part-time jobs, engage in extracurricular and social activities that result in erratic sleep habits and spend pre-bedtime hours in front of sleep-disrupting television and computer screens. The resulting sleep deficit affects mental and physical health, leading to bad grades and other problems.

  1. School Performance

    • Inadequate sleep affects memory, attention span and learning ability. Kids who stay up all night studying for tests often perform badly the next day because exhaustion detracts from their ability to recall facts from memory. Kids who lose sleep on a regular basis work with a growing sleep deficit and end up with habitually lower grades. On regular class days, kids might be falling asleep in school, and even if they remain awake, they can function as if in a fog and have trouble maintaining focus.

    Physical Health

    • Teenagers who routinely lose sleep at night are more prone to skin problems like acne. Exhaustion also might lead them to eat unhealthy foods or consume too many calories, as they unconsciously seek to replenish energy that can be regained only through sleep. Being too tired to exercise regularly only exacerbates a weight problem. Likewise, sleep-deprived teens do not perform as well in sports, which can lead to injury and other problems. Since sleep deprivation also lowers immunity, tired teens will succumb to more colds and illnesses, leading to more absences from school and, consequently, even lower grades.

    Mental Health

    • A sleep-deprived teen can also be a cranky or depressed teen whose resulting behavior problems can damage relationships with family and friends. That relationship damage can intensify the irritability and depression -- and sleeplessness -- thereby perpetuating an ugly cycle and worsening the problem. That is in addition to the stress and unhappiness caused by weight gain, acne and bad grades.

    Bigger Troubles

    • A body feeling the lack of sleep will seek it out at the least convenient times -- while taking an exam or even driving, for example. According to the National Sleep Foundation, more than 100,000 people die in car accidents each year because the driver was drowsy or fell asleep at the wheel. Teens seeking to ease insomnia or rejuvenate a tired mind and body might turn to alcohol, nicotine and/or caffeine -- all of which disrupt sleep and contribute to bigger problems.

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