Doctors: Teens who get less than 8 hours of sleep can suffer from long-term health problems
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns young people who do not receive enough sleep could have a higher risk of obesity, diabetes and injuries.
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Doctors say teens who repeatedly miss out on a good night's sleep can suffer from long-term health problems.
Sleep experts say teens need to get eight to 10 hours of sleep a night.
"Our growth hormone is released during sleep. So our adolescents are literally growing during sleep. A lot of the important functions that they're developing, including executive functioning, decision making, motion regulation, impulse control, those skills are all developing during sleep," says Lisa Meltzer, a pediatric sleep specialist at National Jewish Health.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns young people who do not receive enough sleep could have a higher risk of obesity, diabetes and injuries.
They may also suffer from poor mental health and have have attention and behavioral problems.
As for teens and social media, research shows teens spend too many late nights on social media.
Sleep specialists say late night notifications on social media apps, such as night time nudge on Instagram, might help young people close their apps.
However, they say it is more important that parents encourage their children to put their phones down and go to bed at a decent hour.
