It has become such a widespread phenomenon that it needed a new term. A major problem for Britain�s teenagers to grapple with now is �junk sleep�.
It has become such a widespread phenomenon that it needed a new term. A major problem for Britain's teenagers to grapple with now is "junk sleep".
According to a report out today, playing computer games and watching television is preventing many of them from getting the sleep needed to keep them healthy.
Nearly one in three is surviving on as little as four hours per night, with many going to school exhausted, a survey by the Sleep Council has found.
Experts have warned that youngsters who do not get enough sleep are storing up problems for later life. They argue that educational development and health are just some of the factors that could be affected.
According to the research, the trend for staying over at friends' homes, and parents who are too relaxed, is only adding to the problem.
Dr Chris Idzikowski, from the Edinburgh Sleep Centre, which specialises in helping people with sleep disorders and related conditions, said: "This is an incredibly worrying trend. What we are seeing is the emergence of junk sleep - that is sleep that is of neither the length nor quality that it should be in order to feed the brain with the rest it needs to perform properly at school."
Teenagers themselves also blamed feeling too hot or too cold, worrying and an uncomfortable bed for their lack of sleep.
The study of 1000 12 to 16-year-olds found that 30% were getting four to seven hours sleep before a school day instead of the recommended eight to nine hours for this age group.
Nearly a quarter (23%) said they fell asleep more than once a week either watching television or listening to music, or with other electrical items running. Almost all (99%) said they had a phone, music system or television in their bedroom and two-thirds (65%) had all three.
Among 12 to 14-year-old boys, 58% had a phone, music system, television and games console in their bedroom. A fifth (19%) admitted their quality of sleep was affected by leaving the television or computer switched on.
Only one in 10 (11%) of all teenagers surveyed, said they gave much thought to their sleep quality. Asked how they thought lack of sleep affected them, they ranked energy levels top followed by mood, school work, hair and skin and weight. More than half (57%) said they were kept awake by worrying about what they had to do the next day, while 76% blamed uncomfortable temperatures.
A total of 54% of 12 to 14-year-old girls said worrying affected their sleep, compared with 42% of boys.
Among older girls, aged 15 and 16, 79% said they worried at night-time, compared with 61% of boys the same age.
Dr Idzikowski said: "I'm staggered that so few teenagers make the link between getting enough good quality sleep and how they feel during the day. Teenagers need to wake up to the fact that to feel well, perform well and look well, they need to do something about their sleep."
The survey revealed that 40% of teenagers generally feel tired during the day, with that figure rising to half (50%) among girls aged 15 and 16. Staying the night at friends' houses could also be contributing to poor sleep, the survey found.
Almost a quarter (23%) of teenage girls said they slept over with friends once a week or more, and 19% of boys said the same.
Dr Idzikowski was sceptical. He said: "For sleepover, I think it would be more accurate to say wakeover'. Parents aren't necessarily as strict as they once were with the lights out' policy.
"And with so many bedroom distractions, the amount of sleep achieved when sleeping at friends has to be highly questionable."
On weekends, 9% of 15 to 16-year-old boys said they had less than four hours sleep. Meanwhile, a quarter (26%) of all the teens surveyed said an uncomfortable bed affected their sleeping quality.
When asked an open question on what they thought could help them sleep better, the most common response was having a more comfortable, or new, bed.
Dr Idzikowski also linked poor quality sleep and weight gain, with tired teenagers possibly craving sugary or high fat foods.
He said: "Unfortunately, sleep seems to be going the same way as junk food. It may even be the case that junk sleep leads to junk food.
"Youngsters need to be taught that a healthy lifestyle includes healthy sleep as well as healthy food."
With sleep having a restorative function, experts believe it is important to develop a sensible pattern as a teenager, or risk problems in later life.
Dr Idzikowski added: "Adult insomniacs have quite often been poor sleepers as children, and people who are insomniacs are likely to develop depression. The whole thing creates a cascade of problems."
These concerns were echoed by Dr Gwyneth Doherty-Sneddon, a developmental psychologist in children's communication skills. According to Dr Doherty-Sneddon, from the University of Stirling, exhausted teenagers may perform poorly at school because they are too sleepy and fractious to concentrate during lessons. Irritability, meanwhile, could affect their behaviour socially.
She said: "Playing computer games and watching television are fine in moderation, but if children are spending so much time doing these things, at the expense of sleeping, it will also be at the expense of other activities such as interacting with other people, which is important for social development.
"Being deprived of sleep will also impact on children's arousal state during day, meaning they could be more hyperactive because they are overtired. This can bring behavioural problems."
Dr Cynthia McVey, a psychology expert in ethics and television, has supported the launch of Baby TV - a new 24-hour television channel for children.
Dr McVey, based at Glasgow Caledonian University, is in favour of the channel because it has been "structured" by psychologists and "designed at a level of visual presentation, not too fast for a baby's visual brain waves".
She agreed, however, that children often watch too much television.
"My attitude is that children watch too much television and it is often used inappropriately as a baby minding service," she said, adding: "The problem arises when all of their information comes from a box in the corner of the room."
Recent studies suggest television and video games are having a detrimental effect on children's health. Among them was a study published in The Lancet medical journal in May this year. It found youngsters between five and 15, who watched more than two hours of television daily, saw their health suffer in later life.
Relaxation tips
- No television or computer games in children's bedrooms or during meals.
- Limit the amount of television watched on weekdays, in particular. Studies show children perform better at school when not watching television during the week.
- Do not make the TV, or area containing computer games, the focal point in a room.
- Exercise control and balance. Do not treat activities which might limit children's sleep as forbidden fruit. Suggest more active pastimes instead.
- Make television and computer games inspirational and educational. At the end of the session, the child could have learned more about a topic.
- Make activities interactive. Watch television with children, or play the game with them, and ask questions about what they are seeing and doing earlier.
- Be prepared to use the "off" button. Pay heed to warning signs that children have overindulged. For example, if they cannot think of other forms of amusement, they are probably watching too much television or playing too many computer games.
- Habits learned in adolescence can last a lifetime - so make sure good sleep patterns are instilled, by trying to get the teenager into a healthy going-to-bed routine.
- Ensure a good sleep environment - with a comfortable bed and a dark, cool, quiet and safe room.
Mother keeps control over TV
KATRINA TWEEDIE
Christina Smiley allows her children reasonable but controlled access to TV and says they benefit from the "down-time" watching the box as much as creative play without it.
"They watch it in the morning for 10 to 20 minutes while they get dressed then we have a half-past-four rule when they watch again while I prepare dinner," she said.
"I just thought watching too much was not a good thing.
"I'm not militant about it and if it was raining and the kids were getting cranky I would have no qualms about sticking a video on for 45 minutes."
The TV is not a focal point in their home and Mrs Smiley, from Prestwick, says Frances, eight, Alexandra, five, and four-year-old Patrick do not have favourite programmes.
"Not having the TV on all the time makes them more imaginative because it's only by being bored sometimes that they become creative and find something interesting to do.
"In the summer they don't watch it before bedtime because they are generally playing outside until late," Mrs Smiley added.
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