Galway teens’ chronic lack of sleep affecting mental health

Students visited ahead of Junior Cert results

A QUARTER of teenagers in counties Galway, Mayo and Roscommon are sleep deprived, which is having a significant impact on their mental health and performance at school.

Research by the Western Region Drug and Alcohol Task Force (WRDATF) shows that only ten per cent of teens in the region are getting the right amount of sleep for their age.

The taskforce is urging parents, especially those of First Year students, to step up and enforce a regular sleep routine – the most important part being taking phones away at night.

Emmet Major, Community Liaison Officer with the WRDATF, told The Tuam Herald that the issue is a “blind spot” in terms of public health discourse and, while teachers tell him repeatedly of chronic tiredness in school, parents aren’t aware of how serious the problem is …

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