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Within three days of starting high school this year, my ninth-grader could not get into bed before 11 p.m. or wake up by 6 a.m. He complained he couldn't fall asleep but felt foggy during the school day and had to reread lessons a few times at night to finish his homework. And forget morning activities on the weekends — he was in bed.

We're not the only family struggling to get restful shut-eye.


"What parents are sharing with us is that the 'normal life' of a typical American high schooler is interfering with sleep," says 

, co-director of C.S. Mott Children's Hospital 

 of 2,000 parents from various ethnic groups and backgrounds that Clark and her team published this month, 1 in 6 parents say their teen experiences frequent sleep problems — "having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep 3 or more nights per week."


More than half the parents say it's because their teens won't get off their electronic devices, and 43 percent blame irregular schedules with homework and activities.

A significant percentage of parents say their kids worry about school (31 percent), and 23 percent say their teens stay up worrying about their social lives.

It's likely that the numbers of teens who have trouble sleeping is even higher than the poll of parents suggests, Clark says, because kids can hide their nighttime electronics use and parents may not frequently check in on older children.

How can parents help? Start with knowing what kids need.

 of sleep a night, wedging it in between homework, outside activities, dinner and maybe a job. But research 

 teens need more like nine hours.
Unfortunately, even their bodies work against them, says 

, a longtime sleep researcher and professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University. As children grow into the middle and teen years, they are naturally inclined to 

 and sleep later in the morning. But an early school start time doesn't allow it.



"If kids' body clocks are shifting later and the school is starting earlier, there's no time left to recover," Carskadon says.

She and Clark have evidence-based tips for weary teens and their parents:


Meanwhile, Clark and Carskadon say, the most effective thing we parents can do is listen to our kids — talk with them about their sleep challenges and help them set a regular sleep schedule. It's never to early (or too late) to find healthy ways to relieve 

 that can disrupt sleep at night, whatever your age.


An earlier version of this story incorrectly said the California legislation on school start times was awaiting the governor's signature. Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed the bill on Thursday.

Health

April Fulton

Author

Though teenagers need about nine hours of rest a night, most get only seven and are suffering. A new survey suggests their parents are struggling, too. Here's how to improve the quality of teen sleep.

Teens sleeping too much, or not enough? How parents can help

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