Boys Town tells parents the most important item on the back-to-school checklist: a digital alarm clock

OMAHA, Neb., Aug. 11, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Boys Town releases advice for parents who want to help their teens get more sleep. The national child care organization, started almost 100 years ago, tells parents of teens to put the electronics away.

Research shows that teens need between 8-10 hours of sleep a night to function well in school, but according to the National Sleep Foundation, only 15% of teens report sleeping 8.5 hours on school nights. Inadequate sleep can lead to behavior and academic problems in the classroom.

Dr. Connie Schnoes, a psychologist at Boys Town, says one of the biggest disruptions to a good night's sleep is electronic devices, mainly cell phones, which many teens use as an alarm clock.

"Electronics actually emit wavelengths of light that interfere with your brains ability to communicate to your body to make melatonin, and melatonin is our natural hormone that helps us sleep," said Schnoes.

Here are two tips for helping your teens get a good night of sleep.

• All electronics, including those of mom and dad, must go on a charging station in a separate room at bedtime. Teens won't be tempted to check their phones if they wake up or listen to it beep or vibrate with texts all night. They get the phone/tablet/game back in the morning.
• Purchase a digital alarm clock for them to use instead of the alarm clock feature on their phone.

It seems odd to take a step back in time away from the latest and greatest technology, but teens need a leg up to tackle the difficult testing and rigorous classwork that currently overwhelm classrooms around the United States.

For more information about helping teens get more sleep visit boystown.org.

About Boys Town
Nationally, Boys Town has been a beacon of hope for America's children and families through its life-changing youth care and health care programs for almost 100 years. In 2015, Boys Town's Integrated Continuum of youth care and health care programs impacted more than 500,000 children and families across America. This includes those who received services from Boys Town's residential programs as well as those served by the many varied programs that comprise the Boys Town Integrated Continuum of Child and Family Services, including In-Home Family Services, health care services provided by Boys Town National Research Hospital and the Boys Town National Hotline.

Media Contact:
Kara Neuverth
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SOURCE Boys Town

Related Links

http://www.boystown.org