It's late morning and the teenagers in the house are still fast asleep long after you've got up. Should you rush upstairs and pull them out of bed by their feet? It may be tempting, but the answer is probably no. The evidence is mounting that sleep in adolescence is important for current and future mental health. It should come as no surprise that a serious lack of sleep, or seriously disturbed sleep, is one of the most common symptoms of depression among adolescents.

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When I give talks around the country about why schools should start later for teens, there are certain questions that I'm asked so frequently, I can almost answer them in my sleep. That adolescents have a biologically driven delay in their sleep-wake schedules is uncontested, and in fact, it is observed across cultures, including those with limited access to technology. But why this occurs is a tougher nut to crack. Truth be told, there are many issues pertaining to human biology, like why do people have an appendix, that remain a mystery even to scientists and physicians. I realize that is a less than satisfying response for many. A prevailing theory PDF as to why the adolescent sleep phase delay occurs, or more specifically the delay that occurs at the time of puberty, is an evolutionary one. Developmentally, adolescence is a period of increasing individuation and separation from the parents, so adolescents' ability to stay awake later than their parents could be a biological manifestation of that process. It's kind of cool when you think about it—that around the time of puberty, adolescents show a hormonally driven shift in their circadian rhythms that allows them to stay awake later and sleep in later. Despite this unique ability to stay up later than most adults, teens need more sleep than adults—eight to 10 hours is recommended for this age group.
Lack of sleep can make it harder for your child to behave well, regulate emotions, pay attention and do well at school, and get along with others. Being tired all the time can even contribute to mental health issues like anxiety and depression. Most teenagers need hours of sleep each night. Some need as little as 7 hours or as much as 11 hours. This is because they start to secrete melatonin later at night than they did in earlier childhood, which affects their circadian rhythms. Also, as their brains mature during puberty, children can stay awake for longer.