Teenagers seem to spend their days in bed and still struggle to get up when it’s time for school. However, before you start giving out to them, it is important you understand that they are constantly growing, and rather than being lazy they are actually tired.
Here's what you need to know about your teen's sleep patterns:
1. How much sleep do teenagers need?
Obviously all teens are different but, in general, most need around eight to ten hours of sleep each night.
2. Why don’t the fall asleep at a reasonable hour?
Don’t stress too much if your teenager seems to stay up too late in the evenings – their biological sleep patterns shift during these years. This means their waking up time and going to sleep time changing to later in the day – technically they should be starting their day later, but don’t tell them that!
3. What happens if they don’t get enough sleep?
We all know that teenagers are a moody bunch and adding lack of sleep to the mix will just make things ten times worse. If your son or daughter refuses to get an early night or are constantly on the go, let them know the following consequences for not getting enough shut eye and they are sure to hop into bed as soon as they can!
- Limits focus and concentration making it harder to learn and solve problems
- Can lead to feelings impatience and frustration
- Can cause weight gain as they are more inclined to snack on junk food and caffeine
- Can make you more prone to acne and pimples
- How can you help them get enough sleep?
- We know just how hard it is to get your teenager to do anything, but with a little bit of well-meaning advice your son or daughter will be waking up feeling fresh.
- Get them to avoid coffee to close to bedtime
- Help them establish a consistent bedtime - eventually their body will naturally fall into this routine
- Don’t exercise close to bedtime
- Avoid looking at the TV, smartphone or computer screen at least an hour before bedtime
- Help them avoid stress by encouraging them to write down any troubles or things to do in a small notebook
