Drowsy Driving - Stay Alert, Arrive Alive » teens

Today Show Looks at Drowsy Teen Drivers

sleepfoundation — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 19:20:00 +0000

The Today Show recently featured a segment on drowsy driving among teenagers. According to the National Sleep Foundation’s 2006 Sleep in America poll, 51 percent of all adolescents who drive reported that they had driven drowsy at least once in the past year. Among those adolescents, 5 percent had nodded off or fallen asleep while driving in the past year, and 27 percent of those respondents had an accident or near accident due to drowsiness while driving. The Today Show segment notes that fatigue is a factor in about 100,000 crashes every year, most involving young drivers. National Sleep Foundation Chairman Thomas J. Balkin, PhD, told the Today Show, “In many ways, driving drowsy is very much like driving drunk.” According to Balkin, drowsiness — like alcohol — can severely impair a driver’s reflexes, judgment and awareness.

Learn more about driving and fatigue at DrowsyDriving.org.

Caffeine, Technology Affecting Teens’ Ability to Stay Alert

sleepfoundation — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 20:31:29 +0000

The use of nighttime media-related technology and a reliance on caffeinated beverages are affecting teens’ ability to stay alert and fully functional throughout the day, according to a study in the journal Pediatrics. Researchers asked subjects, middle and high school students aged 12 to 18 years old from a suburb of Philadelphia, about their sleep behavior, technology use and caffeine intake. According to the study, one-third of the students reported falling asleep during school and caffeine consumption among students who fell asleep was 76 percent higher. Teens typically need about 9 1/4 hours of sleep each night to function best; although for some, 8 1/2 hours is enough. Here’s a little advice for teens out there: Try to avoid the TV, computer and telephone in the hour before you go to bed. Stick to quiet, calm activities, and you’ll fall asleep much more easily!

Read the study abstract.
Learn more about Teens and Sleep.