Sleeping habits
Your teen isn't necessarily lazy. He's challenged — by nature, society, and his own impulses. First, his biological clock is shifting so he probably won't feel like going to bed until an hour or two later than his usual (pre-adolescent) bedtime. Then school forces him to wake up too early, and homework, jobs, sports and social events make his schedule totally crazy.
The odds are good that your teen is actually sleep-deprived.
When it comes to scheduling, society and teenagers are at odds2
Researchers recently found out that teens need as much sleep now as when they were tots — 8.5 to 9 hours a night. Does your teen sleep that much? Probably not. In fact, the average teen today clocks just 7.5 hours of sack time on weeknights, while 25% of them only get 6.5!1
1 Jean Duffy, Harvard Division of Sleep Medicine, personal communication
2 Mary Carskadon and William Dement, Sleep and its Disorders in Children, 53-66
That may not seem like a big deal, but it really is.
Researchers have linked sleep deprivation with all kinds of problems, including poor school performance, mood disorders, and increases in traffic accidents, emotional problems (including depression), aggressive behavior, and the increased use of caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol.1
There are physical side effects, too. Sleep deprivation also impairs the body's ability to deal with glucose, which can lead to diabetes. Being sleep deprived can also delay the feeling of being full and satisfied with a meal, which can lead to obesity.2
1 Jean Duffy, Harvard Division of Sleep Medicine, personal communication
2 Orfeu Buxton, Harvard Division of Sleep Medicine, personal communication
Luckily, there are ways we parents can help.
- Light signals the brain for sleeping and waking. Help shift his into the right gear by using few or dim lights at night and letting in lots of morning sunshine.
- Encourage him to exercise or do sports during the day, then wind down at night with quiet music or reading.
- Keep his bedroom cool and calm (no music, computers, or TV).
- Set an "In bed by 10 p.m." rule. Even if he isn't sleeping, resting helps.
- Let him sleep an extra hour or two on weekends to catch up, but no more. (Sleeping until noon only confuses his brain, and makes his early wake-up on Monday even harder.) Short daytime naps help, too.
- Discourage him from using stimulants, including caffeine or nicotine, to stay alert during the day, and keep him off sleep medications (unless they're prescribed).
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