Effective Sleep Tips for Teenagers
Sleep is essential to keep us healthy and ready for the day. This is especially important for kids and teenagers, who undergo several developments. Ideally, teenagers need more than 8 hours of restorative sleep to aid their growth, muscle development, cognitive development, and overall health. However, it’s no secret that many teenagers lack quality sleep, which results in impaired growth, a lack of energy, and heart implications. Studies also show that sleep-deprived teenagers have increased stress hormones and fewer growth hormones.
Lack of quality sleep is also linked to the depression and anxiety that many teenagers face today. With persistent sleep deprivation, teenagers are at risk of developing chronic diseases later in life.
To prevent the effects of sleep deprivation, it’s crucial to gain a better understanding of the challenges teenagers face in getting rejuvenating sleep.
If you are a parent who wants to help your child or a teenager who wants to improve their sleep quality, take a look at these doable tips to fight teenage sleep deprivation.
How Much Sleep Do Teenagers Need?
According to sleep experts, teenagers between 13 and 18 years old should get at least 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night. The circadian rhythm of teenagers can drastically change as they grow. With this, the sleep requirements for preteens and young adults are different.
|
Age Range |
Age Group |
Sleep Requirements (in hours) |
|
6-12 years old |
School age |
9-12 hours |
|
13-18 years old |
Teenager |
8-10 hours |
|
18 years old and above |
Adult |
7 hours or more |
Getting the right amount of sleep is crucial for every age group, especially kids and teens who go through development and the process of maturation. Unfortunately, many kids and teens don’t get enough sleep, which is supposed to aid their development.
What Causes Sleep Deprivation in Teenagers?
Some factors like screen time, stress, and school work contribute to teenage sleep deprivation. However, other components that we rarely consider also cause a lack of quality sleep.
Hormonal Changes
Teenagers go through various hormonal changes that include their natural body clock. This is one of the reasons why teenagers fall asleep later than school-age children. When they sleep later than usual and go to school early, they collect sleep debt that can, later on, develop into chronic sleep deprivation.
Busy School Schedule
Hectic academic schedules can also contribute to teenagers’ stress and lack of quality sleep. Homework, activities, examinations, and other extracurricular activities can cut into a student’s rest time. This, in turn, causes a lack of energy, concentration, and motivation during class. Analytical thinking and creativity are also impacted by a lack of quality sleep.
Screen Time
Gadgets like phones, tablets, gaming consoles, and television affect anyone’s sleep quality. Using a phone before bedtime makes it hard to fall asleep. This can be caused by distractions and the blue light emitted by the gadget.
Too little light exposure during the day and too much light exposure from overhead lights, lamps, television, and gadgets can also confuse the body and keep it active at night when it’s supposed to be resting.
Leisure Activities
Aside from the use of gadgets, several leisure activities done at night interrupt your quality of sleep. Working out and drinking caffeine closer to bedtime make your mind active and affect your sleep schedule.
Stress
Stress from school work and other things can contribute to the lack of quality sleep. On the other hand, a lack of quality sleep can contribute to the stress and emotional struggles that teenagers go through.
Sleep Conditions
Some sleep conditions, like insomnia and sleep apnea, cause sleep deprivation for many teenagers in Singapore. These can result in various health issues, like obesity and heart disease.
Sleep Tips for Teenagers
Formulate a Consistent Sleep Schedule
Despite the busy schedule, it’s important to create a consistent sleep schedule to keep the body and mind rested and ready for school. Budget at least 8 hours of sleep in your daily schedule, including weekends and holidays. While it can be easier to set a consistent wake-up time because of school, it’s also vital to have a regular sleep schedule.
Limit Your Screen Time Before Going to Bed
Do you watch television before sleeping? Do you scroll through your timeline for hours on your bed? If yes, the blue light that electronics emit affects your melatonin production. Melatonin is a hormone that regulates your sleep-wake cycles. Without sufficient levels of this hormone, it is challenging to fall asleep and stay asleep when your body needs to rest.
Avoid Consuming Heavy and Unhealthy Food and Drinks
Avoid eating heavy meals, unhealthy snacks, and drinks like coffee and alcohol before going to bed. Cookies and chips can increase your appetite and cause you to be hungry at night, while caffeine makes you alert and awake.
Practice Good Sleeping Habits
Taking a warm shower before sleeping, turning off noisy appliances, and keeping the room dark and cold are some helpful habits that you can follow to improve your sleep quality. If it takes you longer to fall asleep, try getting in bed an hour earlier without using your phone or television. Instead, read a book or create a journal to relax your mind.
Encourage Physical Activity in the Morning
Engaging in physical activities during the day is vital to keeping teenagers rested at night. Moreover, physical activities help in physical and social development.
Create a Healthy Sleep Environment
To support your sleeping needs, make sure to get a high-quality mattress and supportive pillows so you can rest healthily at night. Considering the temperature in Singapore, sleeping hot is one of the common causes of discomfort and lack of quality sleep. To combat this common sleeping problem, look for a mattress with breathable or cooling layers. Pair this with breathable bedding accessories so you don’t have to deal with hot and sweaty sleep during the summer.
For parents and guardians, keeping an open line of communication and spending quality time with their children is essential to keeping track of their activities and helping them manage their stress levels at school. Sometimes, continuous sleep deprivation is caused by stress or events that occur at school.
Takeaway
Good sleep quality can help teenagers maintain good health and academic performance. It is also vital for their growth and development, including social and emotional aspects. Creating a healthy bedtime routine with your children encourages them to live healthy lives while establishing good family relationships.
Developing healthy sleeping habits for teenagers doesn’t happen overnight. But with some effort and consistency, sleep deprivation in teenagers can be prevented.
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