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Teens need

more sleep

To the editor:

It's midnight on a Sunday, and you're cramming for that big test tomorrow. Then on Monday morning you're sitting in class, ready to take your test with six hours of sleep, and you're just too tired to focus.

Sound familiar? You're not alone. Many teens across the country simply don't get enough sleep. Sleep is vital to your health. Experts recommend at least eight-and-a-half to nine hours of sleep every night.

Lack of sleep also may cause you to eat unhealthy foods or too much food, leading to weight gain. Skipping sleep can affect your outward appearance, mood, performance in athletics and

Teens cannot run on fewer than eight hours of sleep; the effects are just too hard to bear. More than likely your grades will fall.

Athletes need sleep so they have energy to go day after day; otherwise they could be more likely to sustain an injury. Over time, lack of sleep can possibly lead to social tension and feeling overwhelmed with the people around you. Sleep deprivation also can put you at risk of an accident. Drowsiness at the wheel causes more than 100,000 car crashes every year.

Still unconvinced about hitting the hay at a reasonable time? Consider this: Lack of sleep may make you more prone to acne, which is something no teen wants. No one likes to wake up tired, and when that happens to teens, maybe we remember why our parents are so often trying to persuade us to go to bed at a decent hour.

Emily Sporn Athens (Pa.) High School

'Meth' is

everywhere

To the editor:

Residents of rural areas should not take comfort in the myth that methamphetamine abuse is a city problem.

Meth remains a national epidemic, with abuse in rural areas skyrocketing. Many meth labs are located in remote homes and camps, where the smell and other clues are more likely to go undetected by law enforcement and neighbors.

Our organization, the National Association of Counties (NACo), recently conducted a survey revealing that more teens and women are abusing the highly addictive and deadly drug.

In NACo's survey of 500 county law enforcement officials, 47 percent said that meth remains their number one illegal drug problem. That is more than cocaine (21 percent) and marijuana (22 percent) combined.

Increased public awareness of the dangers of the synthetic drug have changed patterns of meth manufacture, acquisition and usage.

Sixty-two percent of those responding counties report that out-of-state importation of meth has increased.

Half of counties report increases in robberies and burglaries during the past year. Sixty percent of counties report an increased workload because of meth abuse.

We all must work collaboratively to address the meth epidemic in America. The federal government must do more to help prevent the importation of "ready to abuse" meth from international superlabs. In addition, county law enforcement agencies, health care facilities and drug treatment centers need additional resources to fight the meth epidemic.

Counties are on the front lines in responding to meth abuse through sheriff departments, jails, hospitals, social service departments and drug treatment centers.

Meth abuse causes remarkable financial, legal, medical, environmental, and social problems. Counties are the first to respond and as a result bear the brunt of the costs. NACo will continue its leadership role to raise national awareness of the meth epidemic. Don Stapely

National President

NACo