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What lack of sleep does to the teenage brain - Wendy Troxel
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What lack of sleep does to the teenage brain - Wendy Troxel

Sleep Deprivation in Teenagers: A Wake-Up Call

The Morning Struggle

  • The speaker describes waking up their 14-year-old son at 6:00 AM, highlighting the struggle of getting him out of bed.
  • As a sleep researcher, the speaker acknowledges the negative impact of early wake-ups on their son's health and development.

Epidemic of Sleep Deprivation

  • Sleep deprivation among American teenagers is identified as an epidemic, with only 1 in 10 teens receiving the recommended amount of sleep.
  • Early school start times (before 8:30 AM) are cited as a major factor contributing to this issue, despite recommendations from medical organizations.

Biological Clock and Teenagers

  • The biological clock shifts during puberty, causing teenagers to feel awake later due to delayed melatonin release.
  • Waking a teenager at 6 AM is compared to waking an adult at 4 AM, illustrating the severity of sleep deprivation effects on teens.

Consequences of Sleep Loss

  • Chronic sleep deprivation can lead to moodiness, irritability, and other behavioral issues often attributed to adolescence.
  • Many teens resort to caffeine consumption as a coping mechanism for fatigue.

Impact on Mental Health and Behavior

  • Lack of sleep negatively affects cognitive functions such as concentration and attention; some may exhibit ADHD-like symptoms.
  • Studies show that teens with sleep problems are significantly more likely to engage in substance use and experience feelings of sadness or hopelessness.

Academic Performance and Health Risks

  • Each hour lost in sleep correlates with increased risks for mental health issues like depression and suicide attempts.
  • Physical health risks associated with insufficient sleep include obesity, heart disease, and diabetes.

Driving Risks Associated with Sleep Deprivation

  • Research indicates that sleeping less than five hours equates to impaired driving similar to being over the legal alcohol limit.

Benefits of Later School Start Times

  • District studies reveal that later start times result in improved academic performance, attendance rates, and overall student well-being.

Challenges in Implementing Change

  • Despite clear benefits from later start times for schools, logistical challenges such as transportation costs hinder progress.
Video description

Dig into how sleep deprivation affects the teenage body and brain, and what can be done to help adolescents get enough sleep. -- Sleep deprivation among American teenagers is an epidemic. Only about 1 in 10 teens gets the 8 to 10 hours of sleep per night recommended by sleep scientists and pediatricians. So, what’s going on? And what changes can be made to address this issue? Wendy Troxel shares how early school start times and public policy are depriving adolescents of sleep at a time when they need it most. Directed by Laura Jayne Hodkin. This is an animated adaptation of a TEDx Talk given by Wendy Troxel. You can watch the talk in full here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TS6lFDVR-3g Education is the ultimate idea worth spreading. That’s why we’ve launched InnovaTED — a program that helps educators develop their brightest ideas and share them with the world. Learn more: https://ed.ted.com/edtalks Support Our Non-Profit Mission ---------------------------------------------- Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreon Check out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop ---------------------------------------------- Connect With Us ---------------------------------------------- Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletter Follow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebook Find us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitter Peep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram ---------------------------------------------- Keep Learning ---------------------------------------------- View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-sleep-deprivation-does-to-the-teenage-brain-wendy-troxel Dig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/what-sleep-deprivation-does-to-the-teenage-brain-wendy-troxel/digdeeper Animator's website: https://laurajaynehodkin.com ---------------------------------------------- Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Hans Peng, Gaurav Mathur, Erik Biemans, Tony, Michelle, Katie and Josh Pedretti, Hoai Nam Tran, Kack-Kyun Kim, Michael Braun-Boghos, zjweele13, Anna-Pitschna Kunz, Edla Paniguel, Thomas Mungavan, Jaron Blackburn, Venkat Venkatakrishnan, ReuniteKorea, Aaron Henson, Rohan Gupta, Begum Tutuncu, Brian Richards, Jørgen Østerpart, Tyron Jung, Carsten Tobehn, Katie Dean, Ezgi Yersu, Gerald Onyango, alessandra tasso, Doreen Reynolds-Consolati, Manognya Chakrapani, Ayala Ron, Eunsun Kim, Phyllis Dubrow, Ophelia Gibson Best, Paul Schneider, Joichiro Yamada, Henrique Cassús, Karthik Cherala, Clarence E. Harper Jr., Vignan Velivela, Ana Maria, Exal Enrique Cisneros Tuch, Tejas Dc, Khalifa Alhulail, Martin Stephen, Jose Henrique Leopoldo e Silva, Mandeep Singh, Abhijit Kiran Valluri, Morgan Williams, Devin Harris, Pavel Zalevskiy, Karen Goepen-Wee, and Filip Dabrowski.