Sleep deprivation in teens is on the rise. The amount of extra activities children are taking part in these days has created many sleep teenagers, along with the early start of school.
Sleep deprivation in teens is a major area for concern because we know that during those years, a teenager requires more sleep than during the preteen years. But studies show that teens actually get much less sleep than they did during those preteen years.
Symptoms of Sleep Deprivation in Teens, & Its Effect:
* You teenager complaints of being sleepy during the daytime
* Your teenager has trouble staying awake in school
* Your teen has a lot of trouble getting out of bed in the morning
* Your teen experiences lots of fatigue
* Your teenager has emotional problems
* Your teenager is irritable
* Your teenager has poor impulse control
* Your teen makes poor decisions
What causes teens to not get enough sleep? Lifestyle can play a role, but some of it is biological as well. Recent studies have shown that the body's internal, biologic sleep-timing mechanism is reset during puberty. A teen's body signals them to go to sleep at a later hour and also to sleep later in the morning. They are often not able to fall asleep earlier. Bu their school schedules continue to force them out of bed at an early hour.
Many teens are able to cope with sleep deprivation by "sleeping in" on the weekends. But others are not able to catch up, and they suffer from severe lack of sleep.
One of the ways to help your teenager get more sleep is to let them go to bed at the time when they feel tired, instead of forcing a bedtime on them. Then, make that bedtime 15 minutes earlier each day. This should help them fall asleep faster.
Sleep deprivation in teens is a real problem, and the effects of sleep deprivation on teens can be debilitating. But there are things you can do to help them get more sleep. The book Stop Insomnia has a list of sleep ideas for both adults and teens. Click here to check it out
