Sleep is something nearly all adolescents and adults love. So, why do we deny ourself something we love that is also good for us? If you love broccoli and know that it is healthy, you eat it more often. So do we act like sleep can be a negotiable or disposable item in our lives?
Facts:
Students who have more (enough) sleep score better in maths, science and reading.
Teens require 8-10 hours of sleep per day (not per week, as they sometimes try to convince themselves).
Caffeine peaks in the body system 30 minutes after consumption and can still have a "half-life" many hours (5+) after drinking it.
Sleep impacts memory, the taking in and retaining information, and one's mood and emotional regulation
Naps do not provide quality sleep and cannot substitute for night time sleep hours.
Regular exercise helps improve sleep quality
Sleep helps form and maintain pathways in the brain.
Sleep helps the brain clean and reboot itself, similar to how closing down and re-starting a computer helps reset the function, speed and capacity of the machine.