Lack of sleep could mean BIG trouble for your teen...

It may come as no surprise that most kids aren’t getting enough sleep...

...and a new study says that could mean big trouble. Over two-thirds of U.S. teens admit getting less than eight hour of sleep on school nights – and those kids are more apt to make bad choices. Researchers say lack of sufficient sleep is associated with risky behavior such as smoking, drinking, fighting, sexual activity and drug use. Even the well-behaved teens are more likely to log more TV and computer time, eat more, act less and feel sad or helpless if they’re sleep deprived.

Sleeping until noon on the weekends to make up for lost hours won’t help. Teens require at least 9 hours of sleep per night. On a school night, for most high school students, that would mean lights-out between 9 and 10:00.