American Teens Are Getting Less Sleep Than Ever Before

Being a teenager today has to be such a challenge. Why do I say that? Just think about the amount of workload has gone their way in the past few years. I'm sure that amount of stress can add up. Is it effecting their sleep? Apparently it is. 

A new study from Columbia University has found that American teenagers aren't getting enough sleep. Researchers say the percentage of children between ages 13 and 18 getting seven hours of sleep per night has dropped dramatically in the past decade, from 72 percent in 1991 to 63 percent in 2012. Teens within that age range lose more and more sleep the older they get, with only one-third of 18-year-olds clocking in at seven hours per night.

So out of boys and girls, who gets the most/less sleep? Teenage girls are less likely than teenage boys to get a healthy amount of sleep.

Fox News is reporting that the reasons behind the lack of sleep include increasing use of social media, smartphones and other electronics, and rising rates of obesity. Think about it....too much technology is never a good thing. How can we fix the problem?

The researchers say improving teens' understanding of how much sleep they need, and the consequence of not getting enough, could help. They also say reversing the trend will require public health efforts to raise awareness about the importance of sleep for teens."

Make sure to talk to your teen and check in with their sleeping patterns.