WHY TEENS NEED THEIR ZZZs
As a former mental health counselor in our public high schools, I’ve seen one too many bleary-eyed, emotionally distraught teen, having left class to see me because they could no longer cope. I was often surprised to learn that many of these teens—presenting with symptoms of depression, anxiety, and sometimes suicidality—had been averaging six or fewer hours of sleep a night.
What I was seeing in our schools and now observe in my private practice is part of an epidemic of insufficient sleep among our youth—and it’s posing a risk not only to our kids’ physical wellbeing, but also to their emotional and psychiatric health. Read More