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Let Teenagers Sleep

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Re: Let Teenagers Sleep

#81

Post by steve_adams_86 »

fdgsdfogijq wrote: post #17

As a teenager I was diagnosed with "ADD". Very intelligent, but unable to focus or complete assignments. My life habits were carb heavy unhealthy food (from the cafeteria), soda, lack of sleep due to long school commute, not much exercise As an adult, I eat no carbs, all meat and vegetables, I work from home and sleep in as far as I need every night. My thinking is laser sharp. They tried to medicate me with all sort…

Weird. My guidance councillor did the same. Well, I wasn’t accepted to a school at the point in which they encouraged me to settle for less, but it was a very heartfelt “don’t even try”.

I left the room very confused and upset. Went in with ambition and excitement about my future and left feeling like I must be a complete idiot.

I remember her saying “Let’s focus on being realistic. You aren’t actually going to do this. You won’t accomplish any of this”.

Like you I was diagnosed with ADD, though long after this. I was inattentive, but succeeding wildly in technology classes and even went to some programming and animation “competitions” which I managed to win. She still told me to set my sights low and aim for trades or something.

For what it’s worth I managed to trick everyone else into letting me become a programmer and I did well despite the advice. It still haunts me to think that kids are getting slapped in the self esteem with advice from people like that; people who are supposed to give them objective, constructive, actionable advice in order to begin setting up their academic and professional futures.

I’d add though that unlike you, my diet more or less went the opposite direction and I feel much better too. I went completely plant-based with an emphasis on whole foods and as far as I can tell my entire body works better. I’m not saying you’re wrong because I absolutely believe you and agree that we were probably just extremely unhealthy before. Maybe any healthier diet would have sufficed. But yeah, this thing seems extremely variable from person to person. Plant based with heaps of carbs might annihilate your brain, but a bowl of barley with steamed tofu, broccoli, carrots, and peanut sauce is like heavenly brain food for me.

Exercise was the other missing link. The more I exercise the better I feel. I’m like a dog that needs to be taken or runs and swims. When my owner forgets I turn into a needy, whining, anxious, lethargic little beast of a human.

Re: Let Teenagers Sleep

#82

Post by beebmam »

fdgsdfogijq wrote: post #17

As a teenager I was diagnosed with "ADD". Very intelligent, but unable to focus or complete assignments. My life habits were carb heavy unhealthy food (from the cafeteria), soda, lack of sleep due to long school commute, not much exercise As an adult, I eat no carbs, all meat and vegetables, I work from home and sleep in as far as I need every night. My thinking is laser sharp. They tried to medicate me with all sort…

> As an adult, I eat no carbs, all meat and vegetables

This is contradictory. Vegetables are high in carbohydrates as a percentage of their calories.

Re: Let Teenagers Sleep

#83

Post by autoexec »

Merad wrote: post #60
autoexec wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's odd that parents consider broader considerations like their 9-5 schedule more important than the health and well-being of their own children. With all the resources and technology we have it's not as if we don't have the ability to find solutions to problems like "How to move a child from point A to point B at time C", so I guess this is more of a lack of will than a lack of capability.

> It's odd that parents consider broader considerations like their 9-5 schedule more important than the health and well-being of their own children. Why are you blaming the parents? Most people in the world don't have the benefit of flexible tech jobs that allow them to work 10-6 or to come and go as needed during the work day.

> Why are you blaming the parents?

Because when Boston tried this, uproar from parents was sufficient to cause meaningful change, but that uproar was directed at their schools and not their workplaces. They used their collective power to defend their work schedules at the expense of their children.

Why not insist on more flexibility in their work schedules, or for additional transportation solutions to assist in getting teens to/from schools? Is this really an insurmountable problem?

Re: Let Teenagers Sleep

#84

Post by dobbysfirstsock »

tmpz22 wrote: post #40

As a teenager I used to stay up until 2-3am watching movies on my ipod touch - which had a ludicrously small screen by todays standards. I'm in favor of moving back start times but we should also better study and educate on the consequences of bad personal habits.

I 100% agree. I'm unfortunately not an expert in the field but over the years I've seen "studies" that are very flawed or impossible to replicate. I'm all for some experiments for those willing... perhaps it would overall increase the amount of sleep students get... but for some I feel it would completely wreck their schedules.

This is anecdotal but when I went to live with my grandparents for a summer, I hated every minute of it. They lived on a farm with no wifi. By the last week or two though, I realized I sorta enjoyed it. I was out like a light by 10 pm every day. I was getting more exercise etc. I had no reliable reason to stay up past 10 pm and my body seemed to adjust to what felt natural.

As an adult, I can say that if school started later, I would have just stayed up later. There was even a time in college that I would stay up till 4-5 am. Sometimes you would know a snow day the night before and I would tell my friends on the west coast that I could stay up even later. It was awful but I couldn't see it at the time. It took me years to fix. I now sleep around 1 AM which I still wish I could sleep earlier but I'll take it.

Re: Let Teenagers Sleep

#85

Post by kcplate »

solveit wrote: post #44
fdgsdfogijq wrote: post #17

As a teenager I was diagnosed with "ADD". Very intelligent, but unable to focus or complete assignments. My life habits were carb heavy unhealthy food (from the cafeteria), soda, lack of sleep due to long school commute, not much exercise As an adult, I eat no carbs, all meat and vegetables, I work from home and sleep in as far as I need every night. My thinking is laser sharp. They tried to medicate me with all sort…

> My guidance counseler suggested I dont attend college, just a community college (despite the fact that I got admitted to a decent state school) What's wrong with guidance counselors in American high schools? Why do I keep hearing about them giving kids incredibly stupid advice?

I am not sure it’s necessarily bad advice in this case—community college or trade school route—I would consider that pretty good general advice for an underperforming but intelligent teen. However, I do know firsthand from an experience involving my son’s guidance counselor providing remarkably bad advice that at times the guidance isn’t beneficial to the teen, but more to the school.

Re: Let Teenagers Sleep

#86

Post by hd95489 »

solveit wrote: post #44
fdgsdfogijq wrote: post #17

As a teenager I was diagnosed with "ADD". Very intelligent, but unable to focus or complete assignments. My life habits were carb heavy unhealthy food (from the cafeteria), soda, lack of sleep due to long school commute, not much exercise As an adult, I eat no carbs, all meat and vegetables, I work from home and sleep in as far as I need every night. My thinking is laser sharp. They tried to medicate me with all sort…

> My guidance counseler suggested I dont attend college, just a community college (despite the fact that I got admitted to a decent state school) What's wrong with guidance counselors in American high schools? Why do I keep hearing about them giving kids incredibly stupid advice?

Yeah I mean the guidance counselor is at best a failed therapist so why would you expect good advice

Re: Let Teenagers Sleep

#87

Post by hgsgm »

beebmam wrote: post #82
fdgsdfogijq wrote: post #17

As a teenager I was diagnosed with "ADD". Very intelligent, but unable to focus or complete assignments. My life habits were carb heavy unhealthy food (from the cafeteria), soda, lack of sleep due to long school commute, not much exercise As an adult, I eat no carbs, all meat and vegetables, I work from home and sleep in as far as I need every night. My thinking is laser sharp. They tried to medicate me with all sort…

> As an adult, I eat no carbs, all meat and vegetables This is contradictory. Vegetables are high in carbohydrates as a percentage of their calories.

Non-starch vegetable have almost no carbs and almost no calories.

Re: Let Teenagers Sleep

#88

Post by jxramos »

fdgsdfogijq wrote: post #72
phillipcarter wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> These large scale school systems treat students like cattle I think that's by design, though, as school primarily exists as extended daycare so that parents can work.

I just think about how many people early in life are completely thrown off course because there isnt someone around to provide the basics. And it can happen in well off families.

I wonder how the experience would have went if we were in on the design of it all. We had our suspicions but I wonder if some folks would have been more compelled to take things into their own hands than passively take all the crazy environments dished out on us. Sort of in the space of informed consent, I can react to that which I'm explicitly aware of you know? Youth frequently pay the price is these sorts of information asymetries.

Re: Let Teenagers Sleep

#89

Post by lotsofpulp »

krolden wrote: post #71
lotsofpulp wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It could have had something to do with women desiring independence.

Ofcouse. however they may have been misguided to think their families would benefit from both parents working while it was actually a detriment to their family in the end. Again, not saying women should t be able to work like anyone else, I'm saying having g both parents have to go to work does not benefit the family unit as they hoped. Especially since women are paid nearly half as much as men across nearly every in…

Who is “they”, and why do you presume “they” pushed for women being able to work because it would benefit families?

I want women to be able to work because I want the women in my life to not be caught under the thumb of an abuser. If it harms families somehow, that is a separate problem, with separate solutions that do not have anything to do with restricting the independence of women.

>Especially since women are paid nearly half as much as men across nearly every industry.

This is not true when comparing the price of the same labor offered by a man or woman.

Re: Let Teenagers Sleep

#90

Post by username3 »

steve_adams_86 wrote: post #81
fdgsdfogijq wrote: post #17

As a teenager I was diagnosed with "ADD". Very intelligent, but unable to focus or complete assignments. My life habits were carb heavy unhealthy food (from the cafeteria), soda, lack of sleep due to long school commute, not much exercise As an adult, I eat no carbs, all meat and vegetables, I work from home and sleep in as far as I need every night. My thinking is laser sharp. They tried to medicate me with all sort…

Weird. My guidance councillor did the same. Well, I wasn’t accepted to a school at the point in which they encouraged me to settle for less, but it was a very heartfelt “don’t even try”. I left the room very confused and upset. Went in with ambition and excitement about my future and left feeling like I must be a complete idiot. I remember her saying “Let’s focus on being realistic. You aren’t actually going to do th…

Reverse psychology works if they’re wrong and true if they’re right.
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