Lack of sleep is a common problem in autism. The CDC has completed a study which bears relevance to our readers. Nearly 73% of US high-school students and almost 58% of middle-school students in nine states indicate receiving less than the recommended amount of nighttime sleep, CDC researchers reported in the agency’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. «Children and adolescents who don’t get enough sleep are at increased risk for obesity, diabetes, injuries, poor mental health, and attention and behavior problems, which can affect them academically,» researcher Anne Wheaton said.

«A big part of the problem is that teens stay up late using smartphones and computers, playing video games or watching TV», said Dr. Thomas Kilkenny. He is director of sleep medicine at Staten Island University Hospital in New York City.

The article was recently discussed (1/25/2018) by Steven Reinberg in the HealthDay Reporter.