Planet Youth Lanark County survey findings show that 70% of Grade 10 students are getting less than 7 hours of sleep per night. This is not healthy.
The Canadian Sleep and Circadian Network, the Canadian Sleep Society, Fondation Sommeil and Wake-up Narcolepsy Canada have joined forces to launch Dormez là-dessus – Sleep on it!, a bilingual Canadian campaign to promote the importance of sleep to maintain good health. They recommend that teenagers sleep 8-10 hours. They further recommend that “sleep schedules should be adjusted, as much as possible, to the teens’ biological needs (phase-delay) and social constraints to avoid sleep deprivation and its consequences on mood, cognitive functions, school performance and health.”
Pre-teen sleep
A recent National Institutes of Health article discusses how getting enough sleep during childhood benefits developing brains. Its conclusions are:
- Pre-teens who slept less than nine hours daily had differences in brain structure and more problems with mood and thinking compared to those who got sufficient sleep.
- The findings suggest that sleep interventions might be needed to help improve mental and behavioral health during pre-adolescence and beyond.
It is pretty clear that everyone needs to get enough sleep to be healthy.
Join the conversation
At the June 1 Planet Youth Lanark County community goal setting meeting we will be discussing strategies for improving sleep hygiene of Lanark County youth. Please join us for this important conversation.
To register, visit: https://planet-youth-goal-setting-workshop.eventbrite.ca
