{
  "id": 5309625,
  "title": "Teenagers need 8–10 hours of sleep for healthy development – Dr Vanessa Apea",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/teenagers-need-8-10-hours-of-sleep-for-healthy-development-dr-vanessa",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-03T10:27:39.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "GBC Ghana",
    "slug": "gbc-ghana",
    "url": "https://www.gbcghanaonline.com/news/health/teenagers-need-8-10-hours-of-sleep-for-healthy-development-dr-vanessa-apea/2026/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Dr Vanessa Apea, CEO of the Accra London Health Centre, has emphasized the vital role of sufficient sleep in the growth and development of teenagers. She explained that teenagers, undergoing significant physiological changes, need more sleep than adults to facilitate hormonal balance, brain development, emotional stability, and cognitive functioning. Apea pointed out that a teenager's biological clock often pushes them to sleep later at night and remain alert longer in the morning, a cycle that clashes with early school start times and academic pressures.\n\nThe lack of adequate sleep can lead to a cascade of detrimental effects such as reduced focus in class, impaired memory, irritability, anxiety, depression, and a weakened immune system. In Ghana, Apea noted, teenagers are often more awake than asleep due to academic stress, late-night studying, excessive mobile phone and social media usage, and insufficient parental control over nighttime screen time. The exposure to blue light from electronic devices interferes with the production of melatonin, a sleep-inducing hormone, making it hard for teenagers to fall asleep even after an early bedtime.\n\nApea stressed that when students attend classes while sleep-deprived, their learning capacity diminishes, and academic performance plummets, regardless of the amount of time spent studying. She urged parents, educational institutions, and policymakers to prioritize sleep education and foster an environment conducive to healthy sleep habits among adolescents. The expert recommended that teenagers should aim for eight to ten hours of restorative sleep each night, maintain consistent sleep schedules, limit screen usage at least an hour before bed, and avoid caffeine and heavy meals close to bedtime. Apea also called for heightened public awareness and the inclusion of sleep education in school health programs, alongside a reassessment of academic demands that encourage students to stay awake late into the night.",
  "summary": "By Love Wilhelmina Abanonave Chief Executive Officer of the Accra London Health Centre, Dr Vanessa Apea, has underscored the critical importance of adequate sleep among teenagers, describing it as a foundation for their physical, mental and academic well-being. Dr Apea said while sleep is essential for everyone, it is particularly crucial during the teenage years, […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}