Less Sleep = Poor Performance for Teens

Teenagers who stay up after midnight have a worse outlook on life than those who go to bed at an earlier time, according to research presented at a national sleep conference.

A team led by Columbia University Medical Center surveyed 15,659 teens and parents who took part in a National Institutes of Health (NIH) study. They found that middle- and high-schoolers whose parents don't require them to go to bed before midnight are 42 percent more likely to be depressed and 30 percent more likely to have had suicidal thoughts in the past year.

The NIH says teens need nine hours of sleep each day, but few get that much. The average is 8.3 hours. Parents should try to sell them on the importance of sleep and tell them it's in their best interests.