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SLEEP IS ESSENTIAL FOR US

Your teenager lives under a lot of stress, he has school and homework, sports and friends, television and Internet and above all the tension to get ahead in life. He hardly has time for sleep. These youngsters give their normal nine-hour sleep a go by.

William C. Dement, world's leading authority on sleep and related disorders says millions of young people are putting their health and education at risk by not making sleep a higher priority in their daily routine. Teenagers need more sleep than children and adults; they need around nine hours of undisturbed sleep every night. Insufficient sleep can result in mental and physical health and even premature aging.

The human biological clock has been so programmed that each person feels sleepy during nighttime and remains active during the daylight hours. So teenagers who literally burn midnight oil and try to make good the loss during the day are constantly at war with their biological clocks.

Our bodies experience two natural periods of sleepiness during the 24-hour day, regardless of the amount of sleep we've had in the previous 24 hours. The primary period of sleep is between midnight and 7:00 a.m. A second period of sleepiness is in the afternoon, between about 1300 and 1500 hrs. This means that we are more susceptible to fall asleep at these times.

Many teens, because of sleep deprivation are too fatigued to learn. And their fatigue often leads to behavior problems that contribute to a negative overall performance and experience. They put themselves at risk of error and accident. Like good diet and exercise, good and adequate sleep is must for good physical and mental health of the teenagers.

When we consider sleep deprivation we must be primarily concerned with safety. Safety on the road, concentration in the class and safety in all other activities is of prime importance. To be safe means not to do things that can cause yourself or others damage.

Lost sleep accumulates as a debt, and the larger the accumulation; the harder the brain tries to fall asleep. When you are walking or working half asleep, you become a walking or a working time bomb. If you are in a vehicle you become a driving time bomb. It also causes serious physiological changes that are deleterious to health. Teenagers have to be told that sleeping is as important as eating and breathing.

A few tips to get a good night's sleep:

• Exercise during the day. Stay in one position (lying on the stomach is more relaxing than on the back). Tossing and turning acts as a signal to the body that you're ready to get up.
• Do not go to bed until you're really sleepy.
• Warm milk with one or two teaspoons of honey. Warm milk contains tryptophan. Tryptophan is an essential amino acid. The advantage of a tryptophan-induced sleep is that you awaken at the normal time everyday and do not feel sleepy or drugged.
• Have a regular sleeping habits. Go to bed at the same time each night.
• Get up at the same time each day.
• Stay busy. Don't nap during the day.
• Try to eliminate the stress and anxiety that may be keeping you awake.
• Be sure your sleeping quarters are conducive to sleep. The room should be dark and neither too hot nor too cold and quiet.
• Late in the day avoid foods that tend to give you indigestion.
• Avoid a heavy meal before you go to sleep.
• Before bedtime, avoid things that tend to stimulate: loud music or entertainment, TV thrillers, animated or angry discussions and strenuous physical exercise.
• Comfort yourself with the thought that if you are in bed with your eyes closed, even if you're awake you're getting rest.
• Don't just lie there. If you are very restless and sleep doesn't come in 15 - 25 minutes get up and do something else. Try reading something.
• Reconsider your sleep needs - they vary significantly from person to person.
• Make a To-Do-List an hour or so before bed. This will allow you to rest rather than worry about what you forgot or what you need to do tomorrow.
• Remember that no matter how disruptive the temporary sleeplessness is, nobody has ever died of lack of sleep (but people die everyday from resorting to pills/alcohol to put themselves to sleep).