Teens’ body clocks are delayed relative to most adults, so they often struggle to wake up for school. The challenge is even greater if they are sleep deprived. The key is consistency - aim for the same wake up time, within an hour, 7 days a week. Switch on bright lights as soon as it is time to wake up, and ideally, encourage them to get outside into natural daylight within an hour of waking. Eating breakfast within the first two hours of waking also sends an alerting signal

Across the world, teenagers sleep too late, and too little. Teenagers are thought to be the population most at risk of chronic sleep deprivation. Research suggests that today’s adolescents are sleeping more than an hour less than they were 100 years ago.  So why do teenagers struggle to get enough sleep? Why does this have such important consequences for their mood and academic achievement?