I remember when I was in high school, my father used to come into my room just before the sun came up. He would rip my blankets off of me and sternly state that it was time to wake up.
As I groaned, he would lecture me on missing the best part of the day.
This little ritual continued all through my high school years. Every single morning, he would startle me out of bed. Then, he would lecture me about wasting the best hours of the morning. It didn’t matter that I had stayed after school for my extracurricular activities until the sun had set the night before. Heck, it didn’t even matter that I had stayed up until almost midnight completing my AP Calculus and AP Physics homework.
All that he cared about was his principled world that the morning time was the best time to be awake.
So why am I reminiscing some ten years after those mornings have passed?
Because finally I am vindicated in my absolute dedication and desire to sleep as much as possible during my teen years!
Inadequate Sleep May Lead to Diabetes
As it turns out, adolescents that aren’t receiving enough sleep are more likely to 
develop type 2 diabetes. The magical number of hours needed to prevent this increased risk seems to be six according to research.
Now, while I definitely love research that supports sleep, it is also important to note that there may be many other factors involved in this correlation.
Perhaps a teenager that doesn’t have a healthy sleep schedule also does not have a healthy diet. Perhaps this teenager is also too tired to exercise during the day because of the lack of sleep, also leading to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
While it’s uncertain what the definitive cause may be, the fact is that an unhealthy lifestyle encompasses many unhealthy habits. All of which may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.
So take care of yourself and your kids and get some sleep!
[expand title=”References“]
Smart Brief. URL Link. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
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