Can You Get “Jetlag” Without Flying?

If you’re like most teens, you’re overbooked, overworked, and spread way too thin. It may seem like there’s not enough time in the day to cram everything in. Be that as it may, might I suggest putting “getting enough sleep” near the top of your “to do” list?

No doubt you’ve heard the research that teens need 9 or more hours of sleep each night, but chances are, catching z’s is taking a back seat to everything else going on in your life.

Maybe your plan is to sleepwalk through your school week and catch up on those missed hours of sleep by sacking out ’till noon on Saturday and Sunday. But a new study says that this habit actually does more harm than good.

According to researcher Stephanie Crowley, having different sleep patterns on the weekends wreaks havoc on your body’s internal clock.

“Essentially, teenagers may be giving themselves jetlag over the weekend even without getting on a plane.”

In case you need some convincing as to why sleep is so important, check out these facts courtesy of Teens Health:

• 20% of high school students fall asleep in class
• research has shown that less sleep = poorer grades
• lack of sleep affects athletic performance
• being tired is a big factor in car crashes by teen drivers
• sleep deprivation can result in feeling unusually sad or depressed

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On a personal note, I LOVE to sleep. I’m definitely one of those people who considers a mid-afternoon nap to be more a necessity than a luxury, since I often reach a point where my brain just freezes and my eyes glaze over if I don’t get a little shut-eye.

Apparently, I’m not the only one. A new book just came out called that talks about how short naps can not only make you feel better, but can make you more productive, too!