Why are teens missing so much sleep? Do you have any advice on how to turn my teen into a morning person? My son cannot fall asleep without the TV on. What recommendations does the NSF have to improve the state of sleep among our teens?

Get the latest information on how sleep (or its lack) affects the teens in your life. Sleep expert Jodi Mindell, PhD, joined us on March 29, 2006 to discuss the results of the National Sleep Foundation 2006 poll on sleep and the behavior of adolescents.

If you have questions about your health, you should consult your personal physician. This event is meant for informational purposes only.

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MODERATOR:
Welcome to WebMD Live. Our guest today is Jodi Mindell, PhD, vice chairman of the board of directors of the National Sleep Foundation. She is a professor of psychology at St. Joseph's University and of pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. In addition to teaching and research, she is the associate director of the Sleep Disorders Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia where she treats children of all ages and their parents. She's here today to discuss the results of the National Sleep Foundation 2006 poll on sleep and the behavior of teenagers.

Welcome to WebMD Live, Dr. Mindell. Thank you for joining us today. It's National Sleep Week and the latest National Sleep Foundation poll is out. This year the focus was on adolescents. Are our teens as tired as their parents?

MINDELL:
There is no question that our teenagers are probably even more tired than their parents. The poll found that only 20% of teenagers are getting the optimal nine hours of sleep. And 45% are getting less than eight hours of sleep. In addition, the poll found that this is having effects on every aspect of a teenager's life. One out of four high school students are falling asleep in school at least once a week and 15% of teenage drivers are driving drowsy at least once a week. In addition, we found that poor mood was associated with not getting enough sleep. So if your teenager is cranky, irritable, or sad, you may want to think whether or not he/she is getting enough sleep at night. Finally, we also found, surprisingly, that parents are often unaware of how much sleep their teenager needs, and whether or not their teen has a sleep problem.

"If your teenager is cranky, irritable, or sad, you may want to think whether or not he/she is getting enough sleep at night."

MODERATOR:
As the parent of a teen I can affirm that I have never met a teen that slept for nine hours except on the weekend; and then it was after staying up very late the night before. And "poor mood" is a very nice way of describing the attitude of an exhausted teen.

MINDELL:
We were also surprised that teens are not catching up on their sleep on the weekends, but rather just getting the nine hours of sleep that they need for that night.

MODERATOR:
I've heard from high school English teachers that every morning is a struggle during first period because so many of the students are sleepy.

MINDELL:
Clearly, our teenagers' brains are still asleep on their pillows rather than awake in the classroom in the first and second periods of many schools across the country.

MODERATOR:
Why are they missing so much sleep?

MINDELL:
There area a number of reasons why teens are not getting enough sleep. First of all, it's biological. After puberty, a teen's internal clock shifts later by about two hours, so they literally no longer feel sleepy at 9:00 at night, but rather, aren't ready to go to bed until closer to 11:00. However, according to this years national sleep foundation poll, there are other reasons that are contributing. One reason is caffeine; 75% of teenagers report drinking at least one caffeinated beverage every day. This includes soda, coffee, iced tea, and energy drinks. Unfortunately, it's not working, as teenagers who drink caffeine are twice as likely to fall asleep in school.

Another major reason is technology in the bedroom. This includes televisions, computers, cell phones, video games -- and I could go on and on. Thirty-nine percent of teenagers said they have four or more of these items in their bedroom. These same teens are getting 30 minutes less sleep every night, and are twice as likely to fall asleep in school.

The opinions expressed herein are the guests' alone and have not been reviewed by a WebMD physician.