A surprising fact: Lack of sleep makes it hard to focus while
driving. This may be one reason why so many teenagers are killed in traffic
accidents each year. If you want to live to see your graduation, you might want
to get a few extra zzz’s.
Shocking news: Lack
of sleep causes depression and anxiety. Suicide is the third leading cause of death for children 10-14 and the
second leading cause of death for people 15-34. If you add these numbers to the
leading cause of death of teenagers, traffic accidents, you can see lack of sleep is quite
dangerous, and not just an annoyance to your teachers.
One year, four of my eleventh grade students came to me
all smiles. They had a story to tell. I had tried to convince all my students
to eat a healthy breakfast each day and to sleep about nine hours each night.
They ignored me. But together, as a group, these kids thought they would give
it a try over the three weeks of Winter Break. They did everything else as
usual, but followed my advice about breakfast and sleep.
When they came back,
they were shocked to report I was right. One boy said the bags under his
eyes (which he had for years) were gone. Another student said her skin cleared
up. They all felt better and planned on sleeping at least
nine hours each night, and eating a healthy breakfast each morning. Surprise,
surprise.
If you’re a teenager, then figure out what time you
need to get up each morning to get ready for school (including time to eat
breakfast). Then count backwards nine hours. Make this your new bedtime. One
hour before that time, turn off your electronics. Thirty minutes later start
getting ready for bed.
Go to sleep at the same time each night, even on weekends.
Your body will thank you. Your brain will reward you with more understanding, your
grades will go up, and you’ll feel better about life. It’s all good news. Your
social life will not be damaged. Keep track, and see I'm right, CLICK HERE (ad).
You are reading from the blog, RoadtoFreeCollege.com, where we empower families with knowledge to navigate the path to higher education without the burden of excessive loans.
For more information, you’ll want my book, Free College, CLICK HERE. It teaches families how to help their kids become more successful in school, college, and life.
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Photo Credit: Pixabay
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