Dear Parents, 

This article stresses the importance of sufficient sleep to prevent such problems as depression, especially in adolescents. Additional articles on the importance of sleep for children and teens can be found at KidsHealth.org.

 Mrs. Hirsch

WASHINGTON, DC (WUSA) -- "When parents set a bedtime, kids generally follow the rules," says Dr. Ivor Horn. The pediatrician with Children's National Medical Center is responding to new research that says strict bedtimes help keep teenagers from becoming depressed.

The study in the journal Sleep found teens with strict bedtimes of 10 p.m. or earlier are less likely to be depressed and to have suicidal thoughts than their classmates whose parents allow them to stay up until midnight or later.

However, many adolescents and teenagers are sacrificing sleep to studying, work, and extracurricular activities. And Dr. Horn says all of the modern world's electronic stimuli don't help. She suggests the entire family observe a "digital done time."

Dr. Horn suggests: "Have a box, have a container, and put the iPods in. Put the cellphones in and say this is a time when we're done with that."

Dr. Horn says teenagers really need about nine hours of sleep a night, and a good bedtime is 9 or 10 p.m. Another study suggests turning in earlier on weeknights is crucial for adults as well. Roughly one in six Americans regularly get six or less hours of sleep a night.

Dr. David Gross is a sleep expert with Washington Hospital Center. He says, "When people don't sleep enough, and sleep less than 7 hours, they don't learn, they don't retain memories as well."

Dr. Gross agrees with new research Boston Brigham & Women's Hospital that finds it is nearly impossible to "catch up" on weekends.

Scientists found chronically sleep deprived people may feel refreshed at first after sleeping in lat. But, their reaction times still suffer as the day wears on. Bottom line: too little sleep, day after day, has a tremendous impact on peoples' wellbeing.

According to Dr. Gross, "They become irritable, they become depressed. It leads to substance abuse and it can lead to thousands of car crashes a year."

ADVICE FROM EXPERTS ON BETTER SLEEP:

• Parents need to Set a Bedtime, and tell children they need to be in bed with the lights out. Doctors say once kids experience for themselves how more sleep impacts performance in academics, sports, etc., they will become more cooperative and typically fall asleep within 5 to 10 minutes.
• Unplug & Unwind: Sleep specialists say the last hour before bed should be spent engaged in quite, non-stimulating activities like reading. Computers and cellphones interfere with the brain's ability to settle down. One physician suggests telling kids its OK to spend time on the computer, as long as they get up early in the morning to do it. That way, they aren't exposed to the bright, flickering screen at night, which will make them more wide awake.
• Keep Consistent Sleep/Wake Schedules: Doctors not allowing bedtimes to vary drastically between weekdays and weekends helps keep kids on track.