Top tips to help teens improve sleep and boost daytime focus
Decoding some simple strategies for teens to conquer bedtime battles and wake up refreshed
Teens struggle with sleep due to body changes, stress, and late-night screen use, leading to daytime issues. Photo: Shutterstock Many teens have a hard time winding down for bed. This can prevent them from getting the sleep they need every night. Not surprisingly, many of them also report daytime sleepiness and difficulty concentrating at school.
Why teens struggle with sleep
Teens often have more trouble falling asleep than when they were younger due to growth spurts and body changes. This happens because the growth phase causes their circadian rhythm – the body’s internal clock – to reset, delaying their sleep cycle (see graphic).
Stress is another common reason for sleep problems. Late-night phone and social media use can also make it more difficult to fall asleep.
Other causes of sleep trouble include health conditions like iron deficiency. Teens who do not have enough iron may have cramps and involuntary movements in their legs that can wake them up from sleep.
Not getting enough sleep can lead to all sorts of problems, such as crankiness, low energy, mood changes, high blood pressure, weight problems, headaches and difficulty concentrating or remembering things.
Lack of sleep can even affect one part of a teen’s brain that helps control impulses. This may be why sleep deprivation is linked with higher rates of risky behaviour such as fighting and substance use.
Tips to help you sleep better
Exercise and spending some time outdoors can also support a healthy sleep-wake cycle. But try to avoid intense physical activity too late in the evening so that you have enough time to unwind.
Make sure your schedule allows for rest time. If you are running from one after-school activity to another, you will not finish your homework until later at night.
We all need time to relax at the end of the day to help us sleep well. Engage in relaxing activities in the evenings, such as reading, stretching or listening to soft music.
Eating late can negatively impact sleep patterns. Aim to eat dinner a few hours before bedtime and eat whole foods that are easier to digest. Also, caffeine can stay in the body for more than eight hours, so avoid caffeinated tea or coffee after lunch.
Tribune News Service
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Make sleep easier by keeping the bedroom cool, blocking out light with curtains, and using fans or noise machines to drown out other noise.
Blue light from phones, other devices and even night-lights can trick the brain into thinking that it is daytime. Over time, that can disrupt natural levels of melatonin, a chemical that tells us we are sleepy.
Put all screens away at least an hour before bedtime, and charge devices outside the bedroom overnight.