A fresh-faced batch of teenagers just began a new school year, but will they get the most out of it? In the mornings, many are forced to get to school much too early. And at night, screens are a temptation that's hard to resist. This double whammy (双重灾难) is a perfect lesson in sleep deprivation (剥夺).
Three out of every four students in grades 9 to 12 fail to sleep the minimum of eight hours that the American Academy of Medicine recommends for their age group. In most cases, insufficient sleep results in reduced attention, preventing students' progress and lowering grades. More alarmingly, sleep deprivation may lead to physical and emotional problems.
It is important to understand why teenagers have a particularly hard time getting enough sleep, and what adults need to do to help. First, a reminder of the basic biology: Adolescents are no longer the morning larks of their younger years. They become rewired as night owls, staying awake later and then sleeping in. This is mostly driven by changes in the way the brain responds to light.
New technology habits aren't helping. More teenagers now turn to activities involving screens at night. The growth in screen time is particularly problematic for sleep. The blue light emitted by LEDs, TVs, tablets and smartphones suppresses the body's secretion (分泌) of melatonin, the hormone that signals it's time to sleep. Overdosing on screens at night effectively tells the brain it's still daytime, delaying the body's cues to sleep even further.
Parents should inform their kids of the time that can be spent on screens, and praise children who show signs of regulating their own media consumption. In the hour before bedtime, there should be a suspension on bright lights in the home, avoiding devices and harsh LED bulbs in kitchens and bathrooms.
In 2016, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that middle and high schools start no earlier than 8: 30 a. m., a policy now backed by the American Medical Association and many other health organizations.
Parents also need to join forces with community leaders, sleep scientists, health professionals and educators to put school start times on the local, then state agendas.
Whenever schools have managed the transition to a later start time, students get more sleep, attendance goes up, grades improve and there is a significant reduction in car accidents.
| Title | Let Teenagers Sleep In |
| Introduction | The of students fail to have enough sleep. |
| Consequences of insufficient sleep | ★Lacking sleep, students fail to on their study, progress prevented and grades lowered. ★Deprived of sleep, students are to suffer from physical and emotional problems. |
| Reasons for lacking sleep | ★Biologically, adolescents tend to sleep late and get up , which can't meet the actual needs. ★Long to the blue light from screens prevents the body's secretion of the hormone sending sleeping signals. |
| to the problem | ★Parents should set real on screen time, and praise children who can regulate their own media consumption. ★Before bedtime, parents should create a healthy environment from bright or too strong lights. ★Joint efforts should be made to the school start time until, say, 8: 30 a. m. |
| Conclusion | Changes on school start time will both students and society although there is a long way to go. |
