Many teenagers are sleep deprived. They need a minimum of nine hours sleep, but it seems, many get only 7 hours sleep per night. Sleep cannot be accumulated for the future. A young person cant sleep for twelves hours to put some hours in the sleep bank. They can, however, sleep for twelve hours when they are sleep deprived.

The biological sleeps clock shifts for young people. Up till age 10 kids tend to wake up fresh and ready for the day. For teens their clock has shifted. Many wake up feeling tired and irritable as they sleep clock says they should still be sleeping early in the morning. For most teens there is a forbidden sleep zone around 9 or 10 oclock at night. They are alive and alert at these times. Ironically, as their parents move toward middle age their sleep clocks shift forward and they just want to sleep at these times. Teens tend to have a sleep trough in the afternoon but peak up at night. Many sleep researchers in the United States are pushing for later school start times in secondary school to maximise alert times for learning.

Sleep helps consolidate learning. Sleep research has shown that the brain practises and consolidates what it has learned during the day when they are asleep. So not only does sufficient sleep help future learning by ensuring a student is fresh, it consolidates past learning

Some points for parents:

1. Ensure your young person gets sufficient sleep but be aware that this may mean altering bedtimes and get up times if possible.

2. Allow them to catch-up at weekends with a long sleep-in. Many need it.

3. Be prepared to talk with teens at night when they are alert the midnight hours can present the best communication opportunities for parents.