Running low on your “zzz’s?” If so — you’re not the only one.
Researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health have published a study called “The Great Sleep Recession,” in the journal Pediatrics, where they studied more than 270,000 teenagers. This age group is believed to suffer the most from sleep deprivation.
Scientists recommend teens and anyone older should be getting about nine hours of sleep per night/day, but according to this study, teens are averaging about seven hours of sleep.
In this CNN article, researchers reviewed 26 previously published studies and found that napping beyond age 2 is also linked to poor quality sleep at night.
The authors say there is no scientific evidence to continue having children older than 2-years-old nap and they recommend discontinuing it, especially if the child has trouble sleeping.
Along with the obvious lethargic side effect, sleep deprivation can cause other types of damage, no matter your age. Sleep deprivation is also linked to overeating, the shrinking of brains, Type 2 diabetes, memory problems and slower reactions times that can impair driving, just to name a few.
If you’re trying to come up with some easy self-improvement habits, more sleep just might be the answer.
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