"Sleeping In" Not So Bad For Grumpy Teens

Since I have been tracking my own quality (or lack thereof) of sleep, I have become increasingly interested on how sleep impacts cognitive performance and mental health. My 15 year old has switched from a "rise before the sun" type sleeper to a "hybernating bear" late riser! I'm sure it is linked to his stage in adolescence. If you do try to get him up early, boy is he a grumpy person for the day (sounds like someone else I know...hmmm)!

It turns out that it may not be so bad letting teens sleep in a little longer in the mornings. A new study has found that teens may function better when they have school start times that are later in the day. Given that we don't fully understand everything that is going on in the body and the brain as we develop and age, it might indeed be smart to allow all those hormonally and physically stretched brains and bodies a little extra shut eye as they move into adulthood. In the end all we really want is for our kids to be fully functioning, smart, achieving individuals...a little extra sleep could do us all a little good. Lucky for my kid we have picked home schooling and he has some flexibility on when he wakes up...time will tell if our gamble will pay off. Now I have to go make sure he is actually awake!!