Lisa L. Lewis (IMC91)

In 2015, when Lisa L. Lewis started looking into why high schools start so early in the morning, she had no idea where it eventually lead. After the 7:30 a.m. start time at her son’s high school prompted her involvement, her writing on the topic sparked California’s landmark law (the first of its kind in the nation) requiring health secondary school start times and her new book, The Sleep-Deprived Teen: Why Our Teenagers Are So Tired, And How Parents And Schools Can Help Them Thrive.

Her book synthesizes the research on sleep, provides parents with practical guidance, and also includes a deep dive into tech use and sleep, along with an examination of how sex and gender, sexual identity, socioeconomic status, and race and ethnicity can affect sleep. The book has been described as “a call to action” by Arianna Huffington and “an urgent and timely read” by Daniel H. Pink.

“Adolescents are chronically sleep-deprived, with far-ranging implications for their well-being – including their mental health,” Lewis said. “My hope is that spreading awareness of how critical sleep is for our teens will help prompt ongoing meaningful change.”