Are soft drinks keeping your teenager up?

If you have a teenager in your home, he or she is probably sleeping right now. Teenagers have unique sleep habits -- staying awake until their parents are just thinking of rousing, and then sleeping much of the day away. Research points to a new surge of growth hormone that causes this shift in the sleep/wake cycle.

Sleep is especially important to teens as they go through this secondary growth spurt. But early morning high school hours conflict with teenagers natural biorhythms. To cope, your child may be tempted to drink a high caffeine cola to stay alert.

This article points to a link between caffeine intake in teenagers and subsequent sleep disruption. Children who drank soda during the day tossed and turned more at night and were more fatigued during the day than their peers. Many schools have eliminated their soft drink machines as part of the battle on obesity, but it seems there's another reason for teenagers to avoid sugary sodas.

What about you? Do you have a teenager? If so, leave a comment and share some tips on helping young adults get enough sleep.