Junk Sleep

British teenagers are damaging their health by not getting enough sleep because they are distracted by electronic gadgets in their bedrooms, according to a survey. Advice body The Sleep Council said "junk sleep" could rival the consumption of unhealthy junk food as a major lifestyle issue for parents of teenage children.

Its poll of 1,000 youngsters aged 12 to 16 found that 30 percent managed just 4 to 7 hours sleep as opposed to the recommended 8 or 9 hours. Almost a quarter said they fell asleep more than once a week while watching TV, listening to music or using other electronic gadgets.

"This is an incredibly worrying trend," said Dr Chris Idzikowski of the Edinburgh Sleep Centre.

"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."

Nearly all the teenagers had a phone, music system or TV in their bedroom, with around two-thirds possessing all three. Almost one in five of the teenage boys said the quality of their sleep had been affected by leaving their TV or computer on. The survey also found that 40 percent of youngsters felt tired each day, with girls aged 15 to 16 faring the worst.

However just 11 percent said they were bothered by the lack or quality of sleep.

"I'm staggered that so few teenagers make the link between getting enough good quality sleep and how they feel during the day," Idzikowski said.

"Teenagers need to wake up to the fact that to feel well, perform well and look well, they need to do something about their sleep."

As Helene Emsellemre give some recommendations to help teens sleep better :
— Remove clutter from your teens' bedrooms.
— Paint walls calm colors, such as soft blues and greens, tan, light yellow or peach.
— Schedule early dinners; big meals close to bedtime require digestive processes that can keep you awake.
— Have your teen shower at night and set clothes out in the evening, too, so he or she can get a few more minutes of sleep in the morning.
— Encourage more exercise if your teen is not participating in a sport.
— Limit caffeinated drinks.
— Help your teen set a regular sleep-wake routine that won't vary by more than two hours on the weekends.

Teens may only adopt these changes once they believe there is really something to be gained from sleeping more. To this end, Emsellem tells her patients that optimal amounts of sleep, which for teens is 9.25 hours, is almost a form of studying.

Source :
- Are Your Teens Getting Junk Sleep?
- "Junk sleep" damaging teenagers' health
- Helping Teens Make Peace with Sleep