Help teens get sleep they need
Q: On school days, the bus picks up my 15-year-old at 6:30 a.m., and with after-school activities and homework, he’s sometimes up until midnight. Then, on the weekends he sleeps until noon. What can I do to get him on a better schedule? — Corrine C., Hot Springs, Arkansas
A: Many kids’ bus rides are super early, like your son’s, and schools start too early. The American Academy of Pediatrics says that teens’ natural sleep cycle makes it difficult for them to fall asleep before 11 p.m., so too early a start assures that students will be sleep-deprived and that their learning handicapped. That’s why the AAP recommends schools start at 8:30 or later. Let your school board know about the AAP recommendations (at www.aap.org), and see if you can begin a campaign for change.
Recent American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommendations says 13- to 18-year-olds need 8-10 hours nightly! Here’s why. Lack of sleep not only makes it harder to learn and retain information, but it triggers all kinds of other problems: moodiness and frustration; risk-taking, such as drinking and driving fast; slower reaction time; and drowsy driving.
Q: I just heard that eating insects is actually good for you. Yuck! I thought they were a food of last resort, like if you are starving, right? — Dick B., Lafayette, Indiana
A: Many insects, such as worms, grasshoppers and crickets, are packed with protein and void of saturated fat. In fact, 80 percent of the world’s population includes insects in their diet, while here in the U.S. entomophagy (eating insects) is becoming very hip.
Chef Aaron Sanchez toasts up grasshoppers (in Mexico they’re known as chapulines) and mixes them with chili and lime in his guacamole. Sample them at his New Orleans restaurant, Johnny Sanchez.
Only 0.1 percent of the five million known insects are harmful, according to Professor Arnold van Huis of Wageningen University in the Netherlands. Have a backyard barbecue and show your friends how cool you are. And remember, besides having the same amount of protein as beef, insects have a whole lot less saturated fat and they dish up loads of omega3s. Plus, insects don’t produce anywhere near the greenhouse gasses livestock do. Email questions for Mehmet Oz and Mike Roizen to youdocsdaily@sharecare.com.