Adults may be winding down at 7:30 p.m. and wonder why the teenager under their roof is still wired at 10:00 p.m. The teen’s brain winds may wind down six hours later. What is going on?
Teens Need More Sleep
Anyone raising a teen may be perplexed by the sleep phenomenon that is in his or her home. Stanford University has some statistics on what is going on. Melatonin is a sleep-related hormone that determines the sleep rhythms in humans. During the teen years, it is regulated differently than in adulthood.
Melatonin, a hormone that induces sleep, is secreted much later in the evening in the teen body. While adults may be ready for sleep at 10:00 p.m., the teen may be wide-awake at 1 a.m. With school beginning at 8:00 a.m., the adolescent is quite sleep deprived.
How Much Sleep Do Teens Need?
Stanford has determined that teens need 9 hours and 15 minutes of sleep. Children need 10 hours and adults need 8.25 hours of sleep. This discrepancy between sleep needs for adults and teens can lead to frustration within families. Some parents may not understand the physical changes in the teen and think that this new sleeping habit is a defiance of authority.
In order to "catch up" sleep, teens sleep in on weekends. This, of course, does not eliminate problems during the school week that include:
- impaired memory
- poor stress management
- uncontrolled emotions
- stunted creativity
More earmarks of sleep deprivation include:
- irritability
- poor self confidence
- poor judgment
- mood swings
- depression
The immune system can also be compromised with the lack of sleep. Learning is greatly handicapped with sleep deprivation, as well.
School Starting Times Changed to Match Brain Function
Schools that were opening their day at 7:30 a.m. have found that beginning the school day at 8:30 a.m. instead has improved the school experience for both students and teachers. With the school days beginning later, students are getting more sleep and are more alert in classes. Students were happier and experienced fewer fatigue symptoms.
Steps to Promote Sleep
There are some steps teens can take to promote sleep earlier.
- Stay away from nicotine, alcohol and caffeine.
- Avoid computer games before bed.
- Avoid arguments or heavy studying in the late evening hours.
- Sleep in a dark room – turn off television and computer.
- Sleep-in a maximum of 2-3 hours on a weekend – don’t sleep until 1 p.m.
Drinking sodas with high caffeine content is a common mistake teens make. Switch to a caffeine-free drink in the evening hours.
Adolescents (ages 11 to 22) naturally experience sleep deprivation because the brain is not cooperating with the real world schedule. Teens can take steps to tip the odds in their favor and indeed get enough sleep.
Source: Stanford University
Barbara Pytel - Email me Experience Although I was never particularly fond of going to school as an ELL student, I ironically became a teacher, ...
