For a lot of teenagers, heading back to school in a few weeks means going back to being sleep deprived. And more than a few parents will be hearing stories about a son or daughter falling asleep in homeroom, if not in math class. Lack of sleep has become a serious problem for teenagers — it not only undermines academic performance but makes them moody, short-tempered and impulsive.
This week on childmind.org we take a look at why it's so difficult for adolescents to get the sleep they need and how sleep deprivation affects their personality and functioning. And we look at what parents can do to influence high schoolers to put down the laptop (and the cell phone!) earlier, to enable them to be their best selves the next day. 
