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- OTTAWA -
Forget the late-night
parties or midnight movies. Some Canadian
researchers say biology may be
the reason many teenagers don't get out
of bed easily.
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- Adolescents appear to have internal clocks that run at
unique
rhythms out of whack with the rest of the world, according to a
study
sponsored by Health Canada.
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- The preliminary results of the survey, believed to be
the first of its kind in the country, suggest many teens have a natural
wake-up time that goes off between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. -- well after
classes
are already underway.
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- The same students also have a
natural sleep pattern that
starts between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m.
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- Teenagers not only
drift off to sleep later than most
adults, their bodies also require
more sleep, researchers say.
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- The study is consistent with U.S. research, which
suggests
teenagers sleep odd hours because of puberty and hormones.
American studies
found that melatonin, the hormone that helps regulate
the body's sleep
cycle, is secreted at different times of day in
teenagers compared with
adults and younger children.
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- About 2,200 Ontario
high school students were surveyed
in the Health Canada
research.
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- Although the results are still being analyzed, preliminary
findings suggest high school students would be better off if classes were
pushed back an hour or two.
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