From sweating to swallowing spiders and waking sleepwalkers, experts separate fact from fiction when it comes to all things bedtime
“The recommendations are that teenagers aged 13 to 17 should get eight to 10 hours sleep a night, and 18- and 19-year-olds between seven and nine hours,” says Browning. “If teenagers sleep in at weekends or struggle to wake up for school, it’s not because they’re lazy or require more sleep, but that they go to bed later. During puberty, teenagers produce melatonin at a later time than younger children, so they have a biological inclination to go to bed and wake up later. They can also be more sensitive to light in the evening, delaying melatonin production.”
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