Does enforcing teenager bedtimes make happier teens?
New research suggests a link between bedtimes and teen depression. The study finds that teens who stay up past midnight on weeknights have a higher chance of being depressed or suicidal than teens whose parents enforce an earlier bedtime.
Specifically, the results show that "middle- and high-schoolers whose parents don't require them to be in bed before midnight on school nights are 42 percent more likely to be depressed than teens whose parents require a 10 p.m. or earlier bedtime."
This is particularly worrisome given that teens these days are "multitasking" (texting, surfing the Web, watching TV, etc.) at all hours of the night instead of sleeping.
Experts recommend that teens and tweens get as much sleep as younger children-at least 9 hours a night, if possible.
Does your teen have a bedtime?
Written by Kim Conte for CafeMom's Big Kid Buzz
