It is said that a good laugh and long sleep are the two best remedies for anything. Sleeping refreshes the nervous system while it is inactive, and the postural muscles also relax during the time. During sleep, the consciousness level is practically suspended. A recent study of the Penn State comments “sleep is an essential feature of growing up especially for teenagers”.
Study States Teenagers Need approximately 9 Hours of Sleep
The study was conducted with about 2200 kids within age group 5 to 9 from 20 cities in the U.S. The results showed that only about one-third had regular bed timings. The other three-fourth of them were seen to be having higher body mass comparatively. Scientists state that parenting practices during childhood affect BMI and physical health in teenagers. Not only this, irregular sleep habits also affects mental and learning capacity as well. Teenagers require a maximum of 9 hours of sleep and so they should get to bed by 9 pm. This gives their body enough time to rest, and relax and their nervous system to refresh and rejuvenate for the next day. This is how they wake up fresh and get more energy to engage in co-curricular activities.
Puberty Timing Demands Extra Eating and Bed-time Care
Another important factor that makes it extremely necessary to stick to proper food and bed-time habits is the fact that teenage time is puberty time. During puberty there is change physically, as well as mentally. Also, there is natural shift in a teen’s circadian rhythm. Usually during that time teenagers suffer from insomnia. Thus, parents having check on the food and exercise habits of their kids is also equally important. Sleep deprivation may result in diminishing brain’s ability to remember, thus leading to emotional issues like aggression and depression.
