Most high schools start early in the morning, and most teens stay up late at night. That means they are always in need of more sleep.

Here are some ways to help your teen get the sleep he needs to do his best in school:

• Plan ahead. When does he have to leave the house in the morning? How long does it take to get ready? Now back up at least eight hours from that morning time to set a reasonable bedtime for your teen.

• Be realistic about homework. If your teen doesn’t open a book until 10:30 p.m., of course he’ll be up too late.

• Limit nighttime work hours. Some jobs ask teens to close the store, which may keep them at work very late. When they do get home, they’re up even later finishing schoolwork.

• Don’t let your teen sleep too late on weekends. Some teens zonk out until noon on the weekend days. Then they can’t go to sleep on Sunday night and their sleep cycle is out of whack for another week. Limit extra sleep to an hour or two.

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