I can still hear my mom calling down the hallway to me during my early school years, “Time for bed, you need your sleep!” Only now, as a mother myself, do I understand the huge importance of sleep for children and adults.
Newborn babies seem to sleep the days away, but as our precious kids grow it seems that sleep becomes less and less appealing to them. I have often wished I could have the many nap times back that I resisted as a young child!
One stage of life when sleep tends to become an “all or nothing dilemma” is during the teenage years. The natural rhythm of a teen creates a tendency toward late nights spent either studying for class, socializing with friends, or watching Netflix®. The cycle continues with them wanting to sleep in the next day, often well past the waking time of their family members. Unfortunately for teenagers, schools don’t look favorably on students being tardy—especially for sleeping late.
So, the questions remain for many adults: “How much sleep do teens really need, and how can they get adequate sleep for their current stage of development?”
How Much Is Enough?
According to the National Sleep Foundation, teens between 14-17 years old need a minimum of 8-10 hours of sleep. Throughout puberty, teens’ bodies go through dramatic changes and growth spurts. Much like the newborn baby mentioned earlier, sleep is a critical part of this development.
A typical high school begins class around 8 am, so for a teen to be up by 7 am to get ready for school, bedtime needs to be between 9-11 pm. While this seems very achievable, there are several factors to consider with a teen’s schedule. After-school activities, sports, part-time jobs, and of course homework all crowd the precious few hours they may have when class is over. For many, the day is just getting fun around 9 pm, so going to bed is not on their radar for hours!
There are many other factors that can make getting enough sleep a challenge. Yet, there are also several ways to ensure your teen can have the amount of sleep they need.
How Can We Improve Sleep for Our Teen?
Check-in (the electronics)
Research is now showing that many electronics (phones, tablets, TV, and laptops) use a frequency of light that signals our brain to stay in an awake state longer than needed. Many devices now offer a “night shift” function to solve this problem. When in this mode, the light from the device becomes a warmer tone, which may help with the signal our brain gets. Even so, these devices can still interfere with sleep.
Then we come to the second challenge — our devices are designed to keep us engaged, entertained, and informed. Whether scrolling through a social media feed or binge-watching a new show, it is easy to stay hooked into the entertainment or interaction offered through technology. The notifications seem to never stop. What’s the solution?
Have a check-in station of ALL devices for the family. (Yes, parents need to do this as well to improve sleep!) Decide together what time the devices need to be checked in and consistently enforce it. Get an old-fashioned alarm clock if needed for waking up, and reward yourselves when this becomes a habit for your family. It’s something to be proud of!
“Wind down”
Much like a young child need to be rocked, read a story, and kissed good night, teens also need a nighttime routine. This can be as simple as getting ready for bed and a parent coming in to say goodnight. Typically teens need the winding down to start 30 minutes or so before they go to bed. This allows them to slow down their mind and bodies, and prepare for sleep.
After a long day, taking a warm bath/shower, listening to soothing music in their rooms, or reading a few chapters in a (non-suspenseful) book may also help. Bedtime routines can vary. The goal is simply to relax and get ready for the last part of your day—sleeping.
Simplify
So often I see teens’ schedules jam-packed with activity and expectation. The pressure of grades, college prep., and time with their friends keep teenagers running right up until they finally drop into bed exhausted.
While extracurricular activities and even jobs can be enriching to a teen’s development, there needs to be caution in adding too much. Speaking from my own experience, having too many commitments can turn good things into very bad things. Anxiety is at an all-time high in our culture, and being over-scheduled is a big factor in that.
We’ve established the fact that teens actually do need a lot of sleep to function at their maximum potential. In our next post of this series, we’ll look at practical ways parents can help teenagers simplify their busy schedules to assist them in getting the sleep they truly need.