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 * A variety of things can contribute to this night-owl tendency among teens, including social life, caffeinated drinks, electronic media such as computers, TVs and cell phones.
 * Other factors include procrastinating on homework, and even depression.
 * Adolescent work schedules are also a concern. Teens who work more than 15 hours a week at a job have less time for sleep.
 * Sleep deprivation in teens may have biological causes. Some experts believe that teens' body clocks start later. Tests by a professor at Oxford suggest that "students perform better in the afternoon, because their body clock is programmed about two hours later, possibly for hormonal reasons."
 * A recent study found that "biological changes that take place in puberty keep kids from being able to fall asleep as early as when they were younger."
 * Another study "measured the presence of the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin in teenagers' saliva at different times of the day." They learned that "the melatonin levels rise later at night than they do in children and adults -- and remain at a higher level later in the morning."
 * "Daytime sleepiness makes it difficult to concentrate and learn, or even stay awake in class. Too little sleep may contribute to mood swings and behavioral problems. And sleepy teens who get behind the wheel may cause serious — even deadly — accidents."
 * "Teens whose high schools have a delayed start time sleep longer and report less daytime sleepiness."
 * One solution is for parents to impose earlier bedtimes on their teenagers.
 * recent study found that "Teens whose parents pack them off to bed at 10 p.m. are less apt to become depressed or have suicidal thoughts than their peers who stay up much later."
 * It should be noted that there is a big difference between having suicidal thoughts and //being// suicidal.
 * In any event, parents can strive to get their teens less wired at night. This can be achieved by discouraging them from drinking caffeine past 12 noon, and by keeping TVs, computers, and especially cell phones out of their room at night.
 * A recent study at Drexel University of students aged 12 to 18 found that "20 percent of those studied got the recommended eight or more hours of sleep during school nights with the rest getting less than eight hours.
 * Forty percent went to bed after 11 p.m.; 26 percent said they usually got less than 6.5 hours on school nights." Thus, sleep deprivation in teens is causing a growing concern among researchers, educators and parents.