How Much Sleep Should a Teenager Get

4:30 again...the door slams open and in walks the dreaded teenage boy. Is he an unruly teen? No. He has no social problems and is not out of control like some teenagers. He is a typical teen boy. Once through the door shoes are carelessly dropped on the porch floor and backpack is halfheartedly tossed at a hook. In he walks passed cringing siblings who are awaiting the typical teasing of an older teen brother. Straight to the kitchen and in to the pantry, there goes this weeks grocery supply. Once the bottomless pit of a stomach is content the teenage boy then heads to his cave, or in this case his basement, where he will spend the next 2 hours texting, gaming and generally doing teenage things. The rest of the family breathes a sign of relief, for they know the hormonal beast is tucked away safely for the time being.

6:30 and the teenage boy emerges from the basement, stomach growling, in hunt for the meal he knows his mother has prepared. Quickly the other members of the family dish their food before the teenage boy inhales the remaining food. After depleteing the groceries for a second time the teenage boy retreats to the bathroom for his evening cleansing and grooming. Now clean and fed the teenage boy returns to his basement cave for the night.

 Typically, it is best for a teenager to get 9 to 9.5 hours of sleep per night. However, as the mother of a teenage boy I can tell you it would be in a parents best interest to encourage approximetly 14 hours of sleep. This way they will have 7 hours for school, 1 hour for homework and getting to and from school, 1 hour to eat and 1 hour for cleanliness and family bonding. This is probably the best way to get through the teenage years!