08 - Healthy Habits: Sleep

It may seem obvious that sleep is beneficial. Even without fully grasping what sleep does for us, we know that going without sleep for too long makes us feel terrible, and that getting a good night's sleep can make us feel ready to take on the world.

The Sleep Health Foundation's Tips About Sleep provide interesting facts about sleep and some useful tips about how to make it better.

Starting around puberty, kids start getting tired later at night. While it might seem like they need less sleep, in fact, teens need more than 9 hours of sleep a night. Unfortunately, most teens do not get the sleep they need.

Sleep is food for the brain. During sleep, important body functions and brain activity occur. Skipping sleep can be harmful — even deadly, particularly if you are behind the wheel. You can look bad, you may feel moody, and you perform poorly. Sleepiness can make it hard to get along with your family and friends and hurt your scores on school exams, on the court or on the field.