Snooze... or Lose!: 10 "No-War" Ways to Improve Your Teen's Sleep Habits

by Carol Whiteley, Carol Whiteley

Walk into any first-period high school classroom and it's obvious: teenagers are exhausted. Sleep deprivation is an epidemic as widespread as obesity?and just as damaging. Fortunately, science has answers and Dr. Helene Emsellem has solutions that all parents can use. Affecting the lives of more than 41 million adolescents in the United States alone, sleep deprivation is a chronic problem for kids today. We know this intuitively as we watch teenagers frantically juggle a hectic social calendar with the overwhelming demands of school, work, and chores. School performance around the country is suffering?but it's not just grades that are at risk. Sleep deprivation has been found to affect nearly every aspect of a teenager's life, from emotional stability and behavioral issues to physical well-being and the potential for drug and alcohol abuse. For years, we've blamed many of these adolescent characteristics on the natural maturing process or changing hormones. And while chemicals do surge through the body creating strong effects, sleep?the right amount and the right kind?has now been targeted for its prime importance in overall success and well-being.

256 pages, Hardcover

First published July 28, 2006

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must read for all of us who parent and teach! Many of our students are undermined before they even walk into a school building. Perhaps the little ones should take the early buses while our teenagers start at 9. We really do need to change the paradigm of education.

[Farnaz Parhami · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again, I could have gotten the message in half as much writing. But, overall, good explanation for the reasons of sleep patterns and good suggestions for bringing it back to normal.