Blog Archive
Sleep Insufficiency Among Teens
In a previous blog, we covered sleep schedules for younger kids. Here we help our teens get the sleep they need.
We all feel that need to sleep at different times of the day. I have a true devotion to my afternoon naps on the weekend. Ahh, I can feel it now. A quick 30 minutes of pure bliss. And my night schedule hasn't changed since I started working as a pediatrician over 30 years ago.
A Couple of Facts (Sciency Stuff)
While I don't remember my own sleep experience during puberty, I routinely discuss the necessity for sleep with my patients almost on a daily basis. As kids move through puberty, their bodies go through many changes, including the when the body says it is ready to go to sleep. Before puberty a young person's body tells it that it is time to sleep at about 8 or 9 pm. After puberty, it ranges from 10 to 11 pm.
Before I move on, let's get a little more science injected into the discussion. In general, there are two factors that affect how sleep we are during the day. The first one is how much sleep we had the night before. Insufficient sleep will cause us to be sleepy. Second, we all have an internal body clock called circadian rhythms. In a nutshell, it is our body's 24-hour clock that keeps us on (or tries to inform us of) our schedule. It tells us that we need to sleep at night and take a nap in the afternoon (can you say siesta time?) If you mess with the rhythm and you will not feel at your best. Listen to the rhythm and you will feel much better. Staying up late or sleeping in too late tends to throw off the body's clock.
Teen's Sleep or Inability to Sleep
Like most of us, teenagers need a certain amount of sleep necessary in order to function properly. Unfortunately, with today's teenage schedules, there doesn't seem to be time to get a good night's sleep. This is where they still need parental guidance.
Teen's are constantly changing their schedule of sleep and wake-up, throwing off the sleep schedule. Sleeping in late on the weekend to "catch up" on their sleep only throws off the schedule even more. So, what are some of the things or events that cause their schedules to be off?
Sometimes it is what we ingest. We've all used caffeine to stay awake. This can be found in coffee and soda, but also in highly concentrated forms. Rush, rush, crash. Then there is nicotine and alcohol, both bad for everyone, even beyond keeping us awake. Finally, sometimes we feel uncomfortable or sick.
Sometimes it is what we do. Teens today have surprisingly full schedules. Many work after school or weekends, have multiple after-school activities, and an extraordinary amount of homework or projects. Stress or anxiety has kept most of us awake more than a few nights. And then there are the blue screens that keep them up. TV, games, or TikTok (or the latest version of it) all strive to keep the attention of the viewer.
Finally, it is the bedroom itself. Each of us has a preferred environment in which to sleep. If it is too hot or too cold, too noisy, or too bright, we just can get to sleep. In the end, the bedroom, or more specifically the bed, should be for sleeping. Not watching TV or playing games.
What We Can Do as Parents
In a previous blog on setting kids sleep schedule for school (Setting a Child's Sleep Schedule) we mentioned some suggestions for younger children. The following suggestions are for teenagers or young adults. Even today, as an (ahem, older) adult, these still play a part in my sleep schedule.
As what we ingest can lead to problems, we should help them avoid these. Caffeine before bed and smoking/drinking (not just before bed, but in general). Find a nice herbal drink, or something without sugar and caffeine.
What we do affects our sleep as well. Try to keep your teen on a regular sleep schedule. It won't be easy, but 8 to 10 hours of sleep is necessary. So, keeping on schedule at night will help ensure that when it is time to get up, the teen will feel better. Regular exercise is important, again not just for better sleep, but for your health in general. A moderate walk, or other activity would be helpful. They shouldn't exercise right before bedtime. And if they nap, try to limit it (one hour max) or too late in the afternoon.
A regular, relaxing routine just before bedtime is helpful. It signals the body that sleep time is close at hand. This can include dimming the lights in the evening, taking a relaxing bath/shower, spending time talking with the family, or reading a book for pleasure. During this time, avoid blue screens.
If they happen to be lucky enough to have extra sleep time on the weekends, limit sleep in on weekends to no more than 2 hours past the time they normally wake up.
There are no magic bullets, onl
A Couple of Facts (Sciency Stuff)
While I don't remember my own sleep experience during puberty, I routinely discuss the necessity for sleep with my patients almost on a daily basis. As kids move through puberty, their bodies go through many changes, including the when the body says it is ready to go to sleep. Before puberty a young person's body tells it that it is time to sleep at about 8 or 9 pm. After puberty, it ranges from 10 to 11 pm.
Before I move on, let's get a little more science injected into the discussion. In general, there are two factors that affect how sleep we are during the day. The first one is how much sleep we had the night before. Insufficient sleep will cause us to be sleepy. Second, we all have an internal body clock called circadian rhythms. In a nutshell, it is our body's 24-hour clock that keeps us on (or tries to inform us of) our schedule. It tells us that we need to sleep at night and take a nap in the afternoon (can you say siesta time?) If you mess with the rhythm and you will not feel at your best. Listen to the rhythm and you will feel much better. Staying up late or sleeping in too late tends to throw off the body's clock.
Teen's Sleep or Inability to Sleep
Like most of us, teenagers need a certain amount of sleep necessary in order to function properly. Unfortunately, with today's teenage schedules, there doesn't seem to be time to get a good night's sleep. This is where they still need parental guidance.
Teen's are constantly changing their schedule of sleep and wake-up, throwing off the sleep schedule. Sleeping in late on the weekend to "catch up" on their sleep only throws off the schedule even more. So, what are some of the things or events that cause their schedules to be off?
Sometimes it is what we ingest. We've all used caffeine to stay awake. This can be found in coffee and soda, but also in highly concentrated forms. Rush, rush, crash. Then there is nicotine and alcohol, both bad for everyone, even beyond keeping us awake. Finally, sometimes we feel uncomfortable or sick.
Sometimes it is what we do. Teens today have surprisingly full schedules. Many work after school or weekends, have multiple after-school activities, and an extraordinary amount of homework or projects. Stress or anxiety has kept most of us awake more than a few nights. And then there are the blue screens that keep them up. TV, games, or TikTok (or the latest version of it) all strive to keep the attention of the viewer.
Finally, it is the bedroom itself. Each of us has a preferred environment in which to sleep. If it is too hot or too cold, too noisy, or too bright, we just can get to sleep. In the end, the bedroom, or more specifically the bed, should be for sleeping. Not watching TV or playing games.
What We Can Do as Parents
In a previous blog on setting kids sleep schedule for school (Setting a Child's Sleep Schedule) we mentioned some suggestions for younger children. The following suggestions are for teenagers or young adults. Even today, as an (ahem, older) adult, these still play a part in my sleep schedule.
As what we ingest can lead to problems, we should help them avoid these. Caffeine before bed and smoking/drinking (not just before bed, but in general). Find a nice herbal drink, or something without sugar and caffeine.
What we do affects our sleep as well. Try to keep your teen on a regular sleep schedule. It won't be easy, but 8 to 10 hours of sleep is necessary. So, keeping on schedule at night will help ensure that when it is time to get up, the teen will feel better. Regular exercise is important, again not just for better sleep, but for your health in general. A moderate walk, or other activity would be helpful. They shouldn't exercise right before bedtime. And if they nap, try to limit it (one hour max) or too late in the afternoon.
A regular, relaxing routine just before bedtime is helpful. It signals the body that sleep time is close at hand. This can include dimming the lights in the evening, taking a relaxing bath/shower, spending time talking with the family, or reading a book for pleasure. During this time, avoid blue screens.
If they happen to be lucky enough to have extra sleep time on the weekends, limit sleep in on weekends to no more than 2 hours past the time they normally wake up.
There are no magic bullets, onl
y suggestions that have helped others throughout the years. Find what works for your teen.
For information on insomnia, see our website https://www.cradlethrucollege.com/Insomnia
For information on insomnia, see our website https://www.cradlethrucollege.com/Insomnia
