Trouble Sleeping

If you’re worrying that your teen isn’t getting enough sleep, then we take a look at what can be done to hopefully improve the situation, as sleep deprivation can have an impact on many things, not just at bedtime. According to the NHS, it is recommended that teenagers should get a minimum of 8-10 hours’ of good sleep on a school night, but why do teenagers go to bed so late and struggle to surface in the morning? According to Matthew Walker , Scientist and Professor of neuroscience and psychology, teenagers go to bed and wake up later primarily because of their natural biological rhythm. The second reason is during the week they are being forced to wake up earlier than they would naturally and so in effect this is causing a sleep debt which they then need to sleep off, which is why teenagers need to sleep so long during the weekend.

It is believed that most adults produce melatonin, the sleep hormone, around 10pm but researchers have discovered that teenagers don’t produce melatonin until 1am. Teenagers need their sleep, their bodies are going through vital changes but as a result of either going to bed too late or having to wake up too early, many teenagers are sleep deprived.

We take a look at a few things that may help them fall to sleep a bit earlier, but ultimately, the research shows that the best thing to do, if possible is let them sleep. Limit screens One I’m sure you know already but the light from mobiles, TV and laptops interferes with the natural sleeping pattern.

One idea is removing these devices from their bedroom which can help reduce the temptation to use them in bed and hopefully encourage them to fall to sleep earlier, rather than chatting with friends late into the evening or playing computer games. Exercise Are they getting enough exercise.

Ideally your teen should be aiming for 60 minutes’ of exercise every day, this could include walking, cycling, running, tennis, or any exercise they enjoy.

Try and encourage your child to take up a new challenge or help them find something they might enjoy as regular exercise not only helps you sleep better, it also improves your overall general health.

Exercising outside during daylight can also encourage healthy sleep patterns, although this can be difficult in the winter months. Caffeine If your teen is enjoying a caffeine fix throughout the day, then this could be having an impact on their sleep.

Even if they can fall to sleep quickly, caffeine can reduce the amount of deep sleep per night and so ideally keep caffeine to the morning, or at least avoid a few hours before bedtime. Keep things cool To help initiate sleep, your body needs to drop its core temperature by a couple of degrees and then stay at this temperature to stay asleep.

It is recommended that a bedroom should be cooler than the rest of the house at about 18⁰C.

Source: bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/body/articles/lifecycle/teenagers/sleep.shtm.

Matthew Walke.

NHS

If you’re worrying that your teen isn’t getting enough sleep, then we take a look at what can be done to hopefully improve the situation...