The duration and quality of teen sleep has always been important, but with the extra stressors brought on by the pandemic, good quality sleep has become even more important. Recent studies showed that depression and anxiety in children and teens has doubled when compared to pre-pandemic estimates.
Since adequate rest is an essential foundation for both physical and mental health, when we look at improving mental wellbeing in youth, sleep is top of mind. Developing healthy sleep habits now sets your teen up for lifelong success. In fact, studies show that poor sleep habits in adolescents can result in long term sleep problems into adulthood.
Sleep has a direct effect on several aspects of their daily life, including:
- Immune function
- Cognitive maturation
- Physical growth and development
Signs of inadequate sleep
If your teen doesn’t get enough sleep, you may notice:
- Drowsiness or difficulty waking in the morning
- Poor attention and concentration
- Feeling sleepy or falling asleep during class
- Reduced memory and motivation
- Changes in academic and/or athletic performance
Poor sleep can lead to increased risk of mental health problems such as depression, anxiety and general behavioural issues. A 15 year study concluded that childhood sleep problems that persist through young adulthood are a strong determinant of mental health disorders, while childhood sleep problems that are corrected do not. This strongly enforces the need for early sleep interventions.
In addition to mental health disorders, sleep deprivation can manifest physically as a heightened risk of developing diabetes and high blood pressure. Unsurprisingly, inadequate sleep statistically leads to more car accidents in teens who drive. More recent studies have even shown causation between sleep problems and risk-taking behaviour in teens likely due to reduced cognition affecting their ability to assess consequences .
Getting enough sleep is challenging
Balancing academic, extracurricular, and social obligations is a skill teens are still new to. Sufficient sleep is a challenge for most adults who have been practicing for years, so it’s understandable that a 15 year old may be struggling to find time to meet their sleep needs while balancing:
- an early start at school,
- a heavy workload of homework and school assignments,
- disproportionate extracurricular activities, sports,
- a busy social life, and
- chores.
They are often found to spend excessive amounts of time using electronic devices, and using them too close to bedtime, which can also affect their ability to fall asleep.
In addition to this, hormonal changes they go through in puberty are affecting their circadian rhythm. Their newly minted “night owl” status is not always a conscious choice.
Research shows that teenage and adolescent sleep patterns are hormonally influenced, and not behavioural quirks, rebellious statements, or attempts to fit in socially. In the teenage years, the hormonal response to the 24-hour daily light/dark exposure that influences circadian rhythm is altered, making adolescents physiologically yearn to stay awake later at night and to remain asleep later in the day.
Strategies to improve teen sleep
If your teen is getting between 7 and 8 hours of sleep, it’s not enough. At this age, their bodies generally require 9.5 hours. So, when we look at strategies to improve adolescent sleep habits we seek to eliminate “time-eating” activities in order to make up that necessary hour and a half of sleep (or more). In partnership with your teen, try the following:
Step 1:
Review their daily schedule hour by hour. Identify “time-eating activities” such as social media, You tube, Netflix and chatting/texting with friends.
Step 2:
List priorities and develop a schedule that includes adequate sleep hours.
Step 3:
Create a bedtime routine with a consistent sleep and wake time (including weekends). Going to bed and waking up at about the same time every day makes your body “prepared” to fall asleep and wake up when you need it to.
Consider including the following in a teen bedtime routine:
- Help them find a few calming things to do every night to remind their body it’s time for bed such as: deep breathing, stretching, muscle relaxation, or a sip a glass of warm milk or decaf tea.
- If they tend to worry, suggest they keep a “worry-journal”. Have them keep a pen and paper on their night stand to write down worries to be addressed in the morning.
- Create the right conditions. People sleep better when it’s dark, cool, and quiet. Consider black-out curtains or an eye mask to keep it dark, and ear plugs or “white noise” to deal with noises. If it’s too warm, use a fan or a lighter cover.
- Try to encourage that activating or stressful activities be done outside of their bedroom and especially outside of their bed. This includes homework, using a smartphone or tablet, watching TV, or playing video games. This keeps the stress of daily activities out of their sleeping space.
- Say goodnight to electronic devices! Not only do activities like texting and social media keep you alert, if you do fall asleep, getting texts and updates can wake you back up. The light from screens before bed messes with your brain’s ability to sleep. Have them try to stop using screens one hour before bedtime and charge devices outside of their bedroom.
Making changes to a well-established routine can be very difficult for all ages, but with the proper guidance you will see improvements. Maintaining consistent sleep habits at a young age will help your teen face the ever-demanding challenges of their day with mental strength and resilience. Getting their necessary 9.5 hours every night will also help them fight both physical and mental illness and mature cognitively and physically.
When establishing or repairing a routine, it’s often helpful to have guidance and encouragement from someone who is not their parent. Please reach out to your healthcare team for support. At Harrison Healthcare, our practitioners are knowledgeable, patient, and experienced at supporting healthy lifestyles in teens and children.
