Teens and Sleep
Teens are often associated with moodiness, which parents typically associate with hormone changes in the body. While this could be a factor, there is also another reason that teens can exhibit erratic behavior – a poor sleep schedule.
It is recommended that teens to get at least eight hours of sleep every night. When teens don’t get enough sleep and are sleep deprived, there some major consequences:
-Putting limitations on your ability to think, learn, comprehend, concentrate and solve problems. Being sleep deprived
can cause you to forget important information, such as your homework, important dates, names and numbers.
-Being at greater risk of getting acne. Not having enough sleep can contribute to face and other skin problems.
-The tendency to snap and become more aggressive towards your peers, friends, and even parents and siblings.
Having little sleep leaves many teens impatient with the people around them, including teachers.
-Establishing an unhealthy diet. Usually when teens are sleep deprived, they not only eat more in general, they tend to
eat more fried foods and sweets. All of which can lead to significant weight gain.
-Becoming more reliant on stimulants, such as caffeine, nicotine, even alcohol.
-More likely to be a contributing factor in an illness.
Naturally, teen bodies do not get physically tired before 11:00 p.m. Since teenagers require at least 8-9 hours of sleep each night in order to function properly, it is difficult for parents to force their teens to go to bed before 11:00 p.m. What some schools have done is establish a later starting time, which provides an extra hour of sleep each night. It has been shown that attendance rates and enrollment are higher when students have more sleep. Also, teens tend to perform better both in and out of the classroom when they have had a good night’s sleep. By having a sufficient amount of sleep each night, teens are likely to be more attentive, in better moods and be focused with better attitudes; they are less likely to feel drowsy, be depressed, or have to skip class to visit the school nurse.
Next time your teen seems exhibits the above, take a closer look at their sleep schedule – it could the culprit.
About the Expert:
Lee Loree is the inventor and developer of SLEEPTRACKER, an innovative watch device that monitors your sleep patterns throughout the night and continuously looks for the optimum moment to wake you up – waking you refreshed from a light sleep stage. www.sleeptracker.com
