Saving Daylight but Losing Sleep

Days full of school, work, friends, and family is a handful to balance. As a result, most teens don’t get the correct amount of sleep that they need which, according to the Nationwide Children’s website, “The average amount of sleep that teenagers get is between 7 and 7 ¼ hours. However, they need between 9 and 9 ½ hours.” The loss of another hour during daylight saving, coming March 13th, lowers the average hours of sleep in teens from 7 to 6, further tangling their mental state. Most don’t realize it but teenagers require more sleep than adults, due to the large amounts of stress and development of the brain. When those hours aren’t met, teens start to experience sleeping disorders such as insomnia, sleep apnea and sleep paralysis. Adequate sleep can be a true game changer, in terms of mental wellness AND academic performance. If teenagers are overloaded with homework and assignments in addition to other extra-curricular activities, it would be a good idea to work out priorities and develop a schedule that includes adequate sleep hours. It would be helpful to make teens realize the importance of sleep and how much sleep is needed each night for them to stay active and alert during the day.  

As parents, there are ways that you can encourage your teens to get the sleep that they require. Allow teenagers to sleep for an hour longer (and not more to avoid social jetlag) during the weekends to compensate for the sleep debt accumulated during the weekdays. Set time limits for screen use and devices; texting, playing games or watching videos close to bedtime keeps teenagers awake, delays onset of sleep, and can make them anxious. Encourage teens to engage in restful activities like light reading (fiction or comics) or doing some relaxing meditation before going to bed. To avoid drowsiness during the day, encourage teenagers to take a ‘power’ nap of 30-45 minutes after school.