The research is in: most teens get 25-33 percent less sleep than they need. Anyone not getting enough sleep has difficulty focusing, reasoning, driving safely, learning and working. As a parent, it’s important that you and your spouse are educated about this topic to help establish healthy habits in your teen who can go on to achieve their full potential.
Most researchers agree that many of the common traits of adolescence—moodiness, impulsiveness, disengagement and depression, even obesity—are symptoms of chronic sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation impairs memory, so teens probably aren’t being irresponsible when they forget their books and assignments; it’s likely a symptom of chronic sleep deprivation.
According to Dr. Avi Sadeh at Tel Aviv University, “A loss of one hour of sleep is equivalent to the loss of two years of cognitive maturation and development.” Since the effects of sleep loss are cumulative, it can impair judgment and performance within several weeks.
Why Teens Don’t Sleep
During puberty, the circadian rhythms—the cycle of changes the body undergoes in a 24-hour period—drastically change. This affects when teens get hungry, when they are most alert, when they want social contact and the sleep/wake cycle. So even if teens go to bed earlier, they probably can’t go to sleep. This is why most teens are night owls.
In reality, teens have two sleep problems in that their brains are developing so much they need a lot of sleep, but because of the circadian shift they get tired later than everyone else. Yet, because of traditional school schedules, teens often have to get up earlier than everyone else. They are chronically sleep deprived.
Since teens are short on sleep during the week, they often sleep until early afternoon on the weekend. This can throw off their sleep/wake cycle even further. They are essentially fighting a losing battle with their own bodies to stay awake.
How Much Sleep Does My Teen Need?
During REM sleep, the brain stores information. So the more you learn during the day, the more you need to sleep that night. Teens need about 9.5 hours of sleep every night, yet they tend to stay up late. Just 15 minutes of extra sleep can increase school performance. One hour more can make a dramatic improvement in teens’ overall functioning and school and work performance.
How To Help Your Teen Sleep?
In a perfect world, schools would adjust their schedules to accommodate adolescent development by having high school classes start later than other grades. A high school in Edina, MN, did just that. They changed their high school start times to start one hour later. This boosted math SAT scores up 56 points and verbal SAT scores a whopping 156 points. Students also reported higher levels of motivation and lower levels of depression.
On the home front, you and your spouse can encourage your teens to go to bed at a decent hour, even if they can’t sleep. You can also encourage your teenager to cut out stimulating activities late at night. Limiting caffeinated beverages, TV, video games and phone after 9:00 or 10:00 can help convince the adolescent brain that it’s time for bed. Also, encourage quiet reading, quiet music and other mellow activities to make the transition to sleep time.
On the weekends, be tolerant of your teens’ need to catch up on sleep, but be sure they don’t get their days and nights mixed up. Sleeping until 10:00 or 11:00 in the morning is probably fine. Staying in bed until 2:00 or 3:00 in the afternoon may do teens more harm than good.
As with many developmental stages and the resulting parenting challenges they can bring, “This, too, shall pass.” But you and your spouse can be proactive, instead of fighting a losing battle. School administrators and parents can do their part to understand adolescent brain development and adjust schedules accordingly. By educating teens about their bodies, it will help teens self-regulate their sleep.
Jody Johnston Pawel, LSW, CFLE
Jody Johnston Pawel, LSW, CFLE is a second-generation parent educator and president of Parent's Toolshop Consulting. She is the author of 100+ resources for parents and family service professionals, including her award-winning book, The Parent's Toolshop, at www.ParentsToolshop.com. Since 1980, Jody has trained parents and professionals through her dynamic presentations and served as internationally recognized parenting expert to the media worldwide. Get practical parenting resources, including more information about this topic at: http://www.parentstoolshop.com/tele/telearchive.htm.
