Sleep |

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Sleep — I just can't seem to get enough! I love reading about how to get the best sleep possible. I'm not the only person interested in sleep — my colleague Emoke did a great blog post on the health effects of sleep deprivation and how to foster better 'sleep hygiene' a while back. Since then, there has been a lot of sleep research.

According to the Mayoclinic.org, teenagers should get between eight and ten hours of sleep each night. I remember sleeping until noon during the summer when I was in high school. Little did I know that my desire to sleep and wake later was due to "sleep shift delay". Some high schools have changed the start time to later in the morning. Even so, one study shows that teens are getting less sleep than before, due in part to the increased use of social media and electronic devices.

In Japan, researchers studied the effects of a sleep education and self-help treatment programs for elementary and junior high students. For the elementary students, the "sleep education group showed significant improvements in bedtime and sleep duration and their… irritability significantly improved." After treatment, the junior high students went to bed earlier and the difference between holiday and weekday sleep times decreased. Sleep satisfaction, moods in the morning and sleepiness during the day also improved. Click here for the entire paper.

Why is sleep important for teens? Besides the health effects (discussed below), sleep deprivation has been linked to an increase in risky behaviour.

Health effects of sleep deprivation

Lack of sleep is known to affect cognition, but may also cause brain cell death (at least in mice). A more benign effect is the link between sleep and colds. Researchers at the University of California Riverside reported how deep sleep promotes the consolidation of recent memories. Another recent study showed an association between insufficient sleep and an increased risk of obesity. And last but not least: sleep deprivation makes us appear unattractive and sad.

If you'd like help improving your sleep quality, you can look into the services of a sleep coach or choose the pillow and mattress that best matches your sleeping posture, whether it be back, side or stomach.

If you'd like to read more about sleep, here are a few titles to get you started: