No parent wants to see their teen’s health deteriorate. But what happens when that is reality? One of the major factors that affect an adolescent’s health is sleep. Way too often teens do not get enough sleep which in turn puts them at a higher risk to be unhealthy. All parents should ensure that their teen gets at least seven hours of sleep.

Teens that get seven hours of sleep have ultimately shown better overall health throughout a year. When teens get seven hours of sleep, their physical health is usually as good as gold.  One of the most important factors in a teen’s physical health is his or her immune system. When a teen is awake, his or her immune system constantly tries to fend off bacteria. However, when one sleeps, the immune system does not have to work as hard because the body is at rest. This in turn shows that the teens that get enough sleep are less susceptible to common illness like the flu. Kathryn Orzech, Ph.D. of Bradley Sleep Research Hospital concluded that, “bouts of physical illness declined with longer sleep for adolescents due to healthier immune systems” (Bradley). In addition, teens that got seven hours of sleep showed a better ability to make better mental decisions. When teens get at least seven hours, mental reaction times are quicken. At that split second when a logical decision needs to be made, an individual with more sleep will react quicker to the task than someone that had less sleep. William Killgore, Ph.D. at the Walter Reed Institute in Maryland stated, “When sleep is present, individuals appear to be faster and more alert in their deliberations about personal dilemmas” (Hitti). Killgore’s statement reinforces that sleep is key for an individual’s mental health because it affects the sharpness of the mind. Furthermore, seven hours of sleep for teens leads to better social health. In addition, sleep does not affect one individual, it affects the whole village. When teens do get enough sleep, they possess the energy to go out and socialize. If a teen did not get enough sleep, that teen would most likely have stayed home. This in turn leads to less social interaction, making that teen socially unhealthy. Emiliana Simon-Thomas Ph.D. at the University of California stated, “Sleep increase improves our brains ability to think about how we affect other people” (Simon-Thomas). Consequently, individuals are socially healthy when well rested because they have the energy to interact. Lack of sleep can generally affect the three most important aspects of your health. These include ones physical, mental and social health. No one of the three succeeds the other, for all are key to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. A teens lack of sleep proves detrimental to those three areas of health negatively.

Even though increased sleep for teens is proven to be beneficial, some suggest teens simply do not have the time to sleep. Parents want the best for their teens, so why not do whatever it takes to have them succeed? If staying up late to finish work guarantees an A on the exam the next day, so be it. This may be true, but the parents that practice this idea are not looking into the future. While their teen may be getting A’s in their present day classes, their overall health will slowly deteriorate over time. In addition, who is to say that these poor sleep habits will not carry over into adulthood? Poor sleep habits now generally lead to problems later on in life. Dr. Indra Narang, the lead study author and director of sleep medicine at SickKids, stated that, “sleep disturbance is highly prevalent in adolescence and that cardiovascular disease risk factors track from childhood into adulthood” (Gupta). Along with all the damages to mental and social health, one’s physical health (that being cardiovascular health) is damaged as well. Other statements given by Dr. Narang include, “sleep disturbance (in teens) enables a greater likelihood of having high cholesterol, high blood pressure and being overweight or obese in future years” (Gupta). Therefore, parents need to start to take this issue seriously. No parent wants their child’s physical, mental and social health to deteriorate. If a teen needs to study for a test at one o'clock in the morning, send he or she to bed. A teens future health proves more important than a test score.  

All in all, sleep is key for teens to achieve overall good health. Teens will be more physically, mentally and socially healthy if they use their head and sleep. Since all parents want the best for their teens, parents should ensure that their teens get seven hours of sleep.   Not only will parents feel better, but the teens as well. After all sleep never hurt anyone. Right? The next time a teen questions sleep, have he or she ask themselves, “Is my health really worth it?”