Teen sleep has been on the decline for decades, and now, one in five teens sleeps five or fewer hours a night. By their senior year, high-school kids on average are getting six and a half hours a night, when they should be getting eight to 10. Modern-day adolescents are already the most sleep-deprived population in human history. The result is shortened sleep, an increase in accidents, and a higher risk of depression. The darker it is in the morning and the sunnier it is later in the day, the harder it is for them to get to bed on time. Too-early high-school start times already make healthy sleep difficult for teens, given this natural delay. Their melatonin-the drowsiness hormone-rises later in the evening, prompting them to go to sleep later and wake up later than the rest of us. This phenomenon is seen across cultures-and even across species-and may be evolution’s way of giving teenagers more independence. Teens have a natural delay in their biological clock.
A recent study found a 6 percent rise in fatal car crashes in that same period.ĭaylight saving time is particularly dangerous for teenagers, who are already struggling to stay in sync with the sun. In the week after daylight saving time begins, the incidence of heart attacks and strokes goes up significantly. The shift raises stress levels and inflammation, shortens our sleep, and increases depression.
We can move the hands on a clock, but we can’t fool the body. Shifting our clocks every March so that many of us have to wake up before sunrise takes a toll. This post is adapted from the authors’ forthcoming book.
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