Like mine your teenager has probably got into a pattern of late nights and difficult to rouse mornings. You’re probably getting tired of the Saturday mid-day tirade when the rest of the house has been buzzing with life for several hours and that one room with the curtains still closed and the muffled sound of snoring remains lifeless. Cajoling your teen to wake up just doesn’t seem to work, no matter what you try. This behaviour does not occur necessarily because your teen is lazy there are actual physiological reasons for this behaviour.
Before adolescence, internal rhythms direct most children to naturally fall asleep around 8 or 9 p.m. Puberty changes an adolescent's internal clock — delaying the time he or she starts feeling sleepy by about two hours. Studies in Brazil, Japan and the United States found that adolescents require more sleep than pre-teens but actually get considerably less. Because the sleep timing mechanism is reset in an adolescents body many are incapable of falling asleep earlier, yet school schedules continue to force them out of bed at an early hour- leading to a population of sleep deprived adolescents.
Staying up late to study or socialize with friends can disrupt an adolescent's internal clock even more. Adolescents need about nine to ten hours of sleep a night in order to maintain optimal daytime alertness. But only 15 percent actually get that amount of sleep regularly.
Sleep deprivation can have serious consequences. In addition to causing irritability and moodiness, daytime sleepiness makes it more difficult to concentrate and learn. It can also have detrimental consequences for young drivers.
Trying to play catch up on sleep during weekends doesn't help much. It can actually confuse a teenager's internal clock even more. Intermittent bouts of going to bed early won’t always help matters. Like mine, your son or daughter will just lie in bed awake, finally dozing off in the early hours of the morning.
Some adolescents turn to stimulants such as caffeine and nicotine in an attempt to overcome their daytime sleepiness. However such dependence can backfire and make it even more difficult to go to sleep at a reasonable hour.
In most cases a simple re-setting of the internal clock can be very effective in assuring the optimum level of sleep for teenagers: Exposing the teenager to bright light in the morning will help his or her body to realize it is time to wake up (try a light box). Conversely complete darkness at bedtime can also help to realign the internal rhythm. But this takes time and consistency. (Sudden changes will not help to reset the body’s internal rhythm). Products containing melatonin – a sleep inducing hormone helps people of all ages to resume a normal sleep pattern.
For most teens it is just a matter of adjusting their schedules and managing their time effectively to accommodate an appropriate sleep regime; which you may need to help them with. Help them to prioritize extra curricular activities and minimize social activities on school nights. Though difficult to enforce, suggest an official quiet time prior to bedtime, restricting loud music, video games and the computer. Be sure however to explain the reasons for the restrictions (or bans), pointing out the long-term consequences of sleep deprivation on school work, social relationships and even a future career. In fact it may be a good idea to allow you teen to set his or her own ground rules with your help. If all else fails do consult your physician to rule out any medical problems or sleep disorders.
