Getting less sleep has become a bad habit for most American kids. According to a new survey by the National Sleep Foundation, 51% of kids aged 10 to 18 go to bed at 10 p. m. or later on school nights, even though they have to get up early. Last year the Foundation reported that nearly60% of 7- to 12-year-olds said they felt tired during the day, and 15% said they had fallen asleep at school.
How much sleep you need depends a lot on your age. Babies need a lot of rest: most of them sleep about 18 hours a day! Adults need about eight hours. For most school-age children, ten hours is needed. But the new National Sleep Foundation survey found that 35% of 10- tol2-year-olds get only seven or eight hours. And guess what almost half of the surveyed kids said they do before bedtime? Watch TV.
"More children are going to bed with TVs on, and there are more chances to stay awake, with more homework, the Internet and the phone," says Dr Mary Carskadon, a sleep researcher at Brown University Medical School. She says these activities at bedtime can get kids all excited and make it hard for them to calm down and sleep. Other experts say part of the problem is chemical. Changing levels of body chemicals called hormones (荷尔蒙) not only make teenagers' bodies develop adult characteristics, but also make it hard for teenagers to fall asleep before 11 p. m. Because sleepiness is such a problem for teenagers, some school districts have decided to start high school classes later than they used to. Three years ago, schools in Edina, Minnesota. changed the start time from 7:25 a. m. to 8:30 a. m. Students, parents and teachers are pleased with the result.
