Research shows that children who regularly get nine hours of sleep perform better in school, experience better moods, suffer fewer accidents and are less likely to become obese.

Become a sleep advocate. Take steps to encourage

• Scheduling of events to help children keep their sleep schedules
• Appropriate school start times
• A sleep curriculum in health and biology classes to help students ebtter understand the importance of sleep to their overall health, safety and quality of their lives.

Research indicates that teenagers need more sleep than adults -- close to nine hours every night, on average.

A recent survey of teens showed that only 15 percent of them actually get that amount of sleep. That means 85 percent of today's teenagers are not getting enough sleep.

In fact, the survey showed that a full 26 percent are getting six or fewer hours of sleep on school nights.

HELP YOUR TEEN ESTABLISH A REGULAR RELAXING ROUTINE TO UNWIND AT NIGHT, JUST BEFORE BEDTIME.

This will help signal your teen's body that it's time to sleep.

• Have your teen avoid all products containing caffeine (including soda & chocolate) after around 4 p.m.
  
  
• Tell your teen to avoid smoking (including smokeless tobacco) since, in addition to other bad health effects, nicotine is a stimulating drug.
  
  
• Teach your teenager to avoid alcohol.
  
  
• Keep your teen away from stimulating activities in the late evening, such as heavy studying, computer games and violent or frightening shows, videos or books.
  
  
• Promote a calm atmosphere surrounding bedtime.
  
  
• Do not let your teenager fall asleep watching television or videos.
  
  
• Help your teenager establish a regular exercise routine and a healthy diet.
  
  
• Have your teen avoid late afternoon and evening bright light.
  
  
• Open blinds first thing in the morning.
  
  
• Allow your teen to to go bed later on weekends, but make sure he or she wakes up within two hours of his or her usual weekday wake time.
  
  
• If allowed to "sleep in" on weekends, your teen's bodfy clock will be disrupted and he or she will have a very hard time waking up on Monday morning.
  
  
• It is important to establish and maintain a consistent wake-up schedule.
  
  
• Parents should start their child's school sleep routine at least one to two weeks  before opening day by introducing a gradual change in their child's sleep schedule, such as going to bed 15-30 minutes earlier each night.
  
  
• Encourage your teen to avoid napping. If your teenager is very sleepy, a short nap is OK, but limit it to 30-45 minutes.
  
  
• Identify and prioritze activities that allow for downtime and sufficient sleep time.
  
  
• Help students avoid and overload schedule that can lead to stress and difficulty coping, which contribute to poor health and sleep problems.