Overview

A teenager finds himself staying up all night, desperate to finish his project. By the time he finally gets into bed, his clock already reads 3 am. He wakes up in the morning, drowsy and inattentive, dragging himself to school. It is now second period and we find the student fast asleep with his head lying on a desk. 

---

This situation is not uncommon. More than 90 percent of teens in a recent study reported sleeping less than the recommended nine hours a night. In the same study, 10 percent of teens reported sleeping less than six hours a night (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 2009). According to Yoshimura (2010), people who don’t sleep enough at night will build up a “sleep debt” in excessive levels, which will require him/her to repay that debt in order to function while awake. Sleep is the key to our survival and especially necessary for teenagers.   Without the proper amount of sleep every night, a teenager is affected physically, mentally, and emotionally through health complications but there are proven ways to help those who suffer from sleep deprivation.

---

Picture references:
http://img2.timeinc.net/health/images/health-news/sleep-deprivation-teen-150x200.jpg
http://www.improve-your-sleep.com/images/teen-sleep-deprivation.jpg