HHS HealthBeat (April 05, 2007)

Sleepless in America

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

About 15 million American kids don’t get enough sleep. That big number comes out of a review of national survey data of children and teen-agers.

Arlene Smaldone of the Columbia University School of Nursing reviewed what parents said about the kids in data supported by HHS’ Health Resources and Services Administration. Her study is in the journal Pediatrics.

Elementary-age kids with too little sleep tended to have problems at school. Teens were more likely to have headaches. Sleep-short kids of all ages tended to act depressed, and there were more heated family arguments.

What do kids need? Here’s what Smaldone says:

"The National Sleep Foundation recommends that school-age children get between nine and 11 hours of sleep each night, and the recommendation for adolescents is between eight and a half to nine and a half hours." (11 seconds)

Learn more at www.hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: April, 06 2007