With the busy schedules teens keep, who can afford inefficient studying re-reading the same page while being too tired to focus, nodding off in class, or staying up late to study, only to be unable to recall the information the next day?

It can be tempting for teens to sacrifice sleep to squeeze studying and other activities into an already full day. But less sleep does not equal more time. Research shows that sleep deprivation in teens--even if they are consistently getting just a few hours less than they need each night—can impair their ability to learn and hurt their overall performance.

Research shows that sleep deprivation impairs:

*Ability to pay attention

*Verbal creativity and effective communication

*Abstract thinking

*Creative problem-solving and innovation

*Mental sharpness (the sleep-deprived person is more vulnerable to misleading remarks and has more difficulty with complex, ambiguous material)

*Decision-making involving the unexpected

*Adaptive learning that involves retrieving knowledge from long-term memory, adding to that knowledge and using it to solve problems

*Overall mood and motivation

Studies also show that when learning certain types of tasks, those who get a good night’s sleep afterward perform better when tested the next day than those who get insufficient sleep. In fact, researchers have found that after a person learns new information, there is activity in the same area of the brain during sleep, and there is improvement in memory performance when the person is tested the next day. So getting a good night’s sleep after learning something new is a crucial step in organizing new information and strengthening recent memories.

Don’t settle for less!

Chronically sleep-deprived teens can become so used to the sensation of sleepiness that they “settle” for less than they are capable of in creativity, academic performance, and communication both in and out of the classroom.

Certain tasks, especially those that are rule-based, logical, or very exciting and engaging, can be less sensitive to sleep deprivation and give the misperception that a person’s overall learning and performance is at its best. For example, research shows that a sleep-deprived person may be able to memorize facts but then be unable to use that information in a constructive and innovative way. A person may be able to say something logical, but be unable to come up with spontaneous ideas or handle unpredictable situations.

Since so much of what teens are learning is important for school, sports and other activities, as well as for discovering the strengths and interests that can shape their lives in the short and long term, it is important to make sure teens are getting enough sleep to feel, look and act their best!