Teen Sleep Loss - Impact and 10 Solutions for Better Sleep
For most parts of the country, March marks the end of daylight savings time which means turning our clocks forward and potentially, losing an hour of sleep.
As a mom, the end of daylight savings always turns my mind to my teens and their on-again, off-again struggles with getting sufficient sleep.
I strategize on how to use this opportunity as a starting point, much like a New Year’s resolution, to instill healthy sleep habits that will keep them healthy and productive.
Much like their peers, they have periods of time when academics, athletics, activities and their social lives impact the amount and quality of sleep.
They sometimes roll their eyes at me (as some of you also may be doing right now) but what keeps me steadfast in my encouragement for a consistent and sufficient sleep schedule is my understanding of the impact lack of sleep has on teens, their growing bodies, their brains, and their resulting well-being.
Research indicates that teens need 8-10 hours sleep per night, yet other data per the CDC shows that teens, on average, only sleep 6 to 7 hours per night. Falling short by 1.5 to 3 hours per night, may be okay on occasion, but a consistent sleep deficit can lead to some pretty concerning conditions with their growing bodies. Research is showing continued lack of sleep causes poor concentration at school which is shown to negatively impact learning, retaining and progressing.
Other potential downsides of insufficient sleep include weight gain, moodiness, anxiety, and depression.
Common Sleep Deficit Causes Among Teens
All teens are different. Their daily lives, home environment, relationships, schooling, and activities vary, but there are several common contributors to why many adolescents begin to decline in their sleep time and quality as they hit their teen years.
Hormonal changes
Puberty creates a shift in teens’ body clocks adjusting them between one and two hours forward, making their wake time later in the morning. As parents, we’ve witnessed the change from our young adolescent, waking us early in the morning, to now having a teen who won’t get out of bed until noon on the weekends. Unless of course a coach or friend sets an early wake-up call. Otherwise, it can be next to impossible to raise your teen from their sleep.
Technology
While social media is often the evil stepsister in the room, in the case of sleep, it’s really any screen device that is the culprit for a couple reasons.
1. Light exposure - Blue light emanating from screen devices like TV, computers and mobile smart phones, tricks the brain into decreasing melatonin production and causing the brain to behave as though it were still earlier in the day.
2. Stimulation – What teens are viewing on those screens can also have an adverse effect. Whether it’s gaming, social content or even reading news can stimulate thoughts, emotions, and anxiety, making it difficult to wind down and fall asleep. For some teens, it can take an hour or more. While your teen may be in their bed and appear to be sleeping, their minds are still racing and not ready to drift off. This kind of stimulation can also impact their quality of sleep, making it difficult to fall into a deep sleep, causing frequent wake ups, or having difficulty falling back asleep if those thoughts or concerns keep coming back again.
Over scheduling
Teens who are scheduled from the moment they wake until the moment they drop into bed, often have later sleep times, get less total hours of sleep, and can have a difficult time falling asleep.
Stimulants
Caffeine and sugar consumed throughout the day or into the evening can make it difficult for a teen to fall asleep. The more they rely on stimulants to prop them up during the day, the more it can create an unhealthy cycle of lack of sleep at night, followed by stimulants the next day and so on.
Sleep disorders or complications
For some teens who may be growing rapidly, conditions like restless leg syndrome can keep them up.
For others, particularly for some overweight teenagers, sleep apnea can affect sleep quality and length.
Teen Sleep Deficit Outcomes
Following is a list of common outcomes when teens consistently operate on a sleep deficit.
Mentally
- Concentration, memory and focus difficulties
- Declining academic performance
- Shortened attention span
- Poor decision-making
- Moodiness, lack of enthusiasm, anger
- Worry and anxiety
- Depression
Physically
- Slow reflexes or motor skills
- Reduced performance in sports or skills-based activities
- Weight gain
- Decreased micronutrient intake
- Tiredness, lack of energy
Behaviorally
- Missed days at school or activities
- Lateness
- Decreased participation or desire to participate
- Increase in dependency behaviors (caffeine, sugar and stimulant drugs)
10 Solutions for Improving Teen Sleep and Sleep Habits
Solving it seems easy enough, right? Unfortunately, with teens it’s easier said than done. Just telling your teen to go to bed at a certain time each night doesn’t work like when they were pre-teens. Your teen disappears in their room, and if they’re allowed any devices there’s no guarantee everything is powered off and your teen is counting sheep.
Quite the contrary. It’s more likely their computer is streaming shows, gaming or other interesting content, or their phone is in bed with them, glowing in their face or tucked under a pillow, buzzing with each text or Snap sent from friends.
So as a parent with a teen who’s increasingly independent, what can you do to improve their sleep and sleep habits?
1. Schedule Prioritization
Evaluate her weekday schedule and determine what might be impacting her bedtime. Is she overcommitted anywhere and can changes be made or activities eliminated? Focus on priorities and what really matters long-term.
2. Caffeine and Energy drinks
Reduce or eliminate any “energy” beverages or stimulants, your teen might be taking to prop her up during the day. This will clear the way for her to start paying attention to her body’s natural cycles.
3. Nutrition
This is often an overlooked area when it comes to improving sleep. Sugary, high-fat and processed foods, or eating late at night can cause discomfort, restlessness and inability to sleep soundly. Ensure your teen is eating well at dinner and discourage snacking at night. If your teen is an athlete or needing to eat in the later evening hours, keep it small and offer healthy foods that are easier to digest and promote sleep.
A few good options include plain yogurt, whole milk, nuts (pistachios, walnuts), banana, kiwi, cherries, small (sugar free) protein shake, a few pieces of cheese or sliced poultry.
4. Wake Time
Have her pay attention to her body clock and what’s a reasonable time to get up in the morning. Note: Obviously, school schedules may dictate morning wake time but when summer comes, it’s good to still stick to a reasonable wake time routine so her healthy habits stay in place.
5. Set Bedtime
Work back 8 – 10 hours to identify a bedtime your teen is willing to stick to.
Help create consistency and habit with the bedtime by having her set an alarm or reminder on her phone 30 minutes to one hour before bedtime for sleep transition time.
6. Create a sleep transition routine.
Help your teen create a routine that effectively transitions into sleep. This should include behaviors that relax and trigger sleep cues to the brain like meditation, stretching, relaxing yoga, breathing exercises, or self-care routines.
It’ll take about 4-6 weeks to reinforce until it becomes routine habit, so repeat the same transition ritual each night.
Some routine ideas might include:
- nightly relaxing shower, bath or facial cleansing ritual
- lowered lighting, close window blinds
- lower room temperature
- devices off and out of the bedroom
- relaxing beverage like caffeine-free lavender or chamomile tea
- meditation or breathing exercises
- soft, soothing music on low
- use a noise canceling device or fan in the room
- journaling or writing in diary to release any thoughts or anxiety
- write a to-do list to help feel organized for the next day
- select and lay out clothes for the next morning, pack her backpack, etc. if it helps to relax her and avoid lying awake thinking about it. It’ll also help her morning go a little more smoothly if she is a late riser or happens to sleep late one day.
7. Sleep Supplements
Melatonin has become popular among young people in the last few years. The challenge is many melatonin supplements are sold in doses significantly over what is clinically necessary like 3, 5, and 10 milligrams. Clinical studies have shown, physiologically we only need 0.3 -1 milligram maximum of melatonin. Taking too much can result in restless sleep, scary dreams and grogginess the following morning. Most medical doctors recommend sticking to a low dose melatonin as an occasional way to help promote sleep but not as a nightly routine.
8. Journaling
If your teen suffers from anxiety or finds her mind is racing at night, thinking of daily demands, schedules or challenges with friends, encourage journaling as a means to release her thoughts and concerns. Making lists or using an organizer are also great ways of identifying priorities, setting an agenda for the next day, and clearing the mind.
9. Blue Light Glasses
If your teen needs to work on a school assignment late in the evening, wearing blue light glasses can help protect against the stimulating light. Look for good quality glasses with orange or red tinted lenses. These typically block between 98 to 100% of blue light.
10. Model healthy sleep habits
If you don’t already have a consistent nightly bedtime or routine, create one. It’ll show support of her efforts and you might feel better too.
Teen Sleep Takeaways
Sleep deficits are common among today’s teens, often causing a range of silent negative outcomes on their developing bodies like decreased learning, weight gain, anxiety and depression.
If your teen is getting less than 7 hours of sleep per night, making small, simple changes can greatly improve the length and quality of her restorative sleep.
Most of all, encourage natural ways of improving sleep and not learning to rely on stimulates or supplements which only cause more side effects and promote poor quality sleep.
Creating limits around bedtime and instilling healthy sleep habits while your teen is still living at home will have positive effects on their health and well-being long-term.