Why Teens are in "Sleep Debt"

In adolescence, the brain undergoes dramatic changes that are associated with changes in sleep patterns. Studies show that teens need about 9 hours of sleep a night, and that sleep is critical for cognitive and physical functioning. Teens that get less than 7 hours of sleep are building a high "sleep debt," which affects everything from cognition to driving performance. To understand more about the human brain, researchers in the Human Sleep Research Program in SRI's Center for Health Sciences study sleep and conducts tests of the nervous system during sleep.