Unlock better sleep: tips for teenagers struggling with rest
Explore the challenges of getting enough rest during adolescence, and pick up practical tips that will benefit your health
Teenagers often struggle with sleep due to growth spurts, stress, and late-night screen time. Photo: Shutterstock Many teens have a hard time winding down at bedtime. This can prevent them from getting the recommended amount of sleep they need every night. Not surprisingly, many also report difficulty concentrating at school, daytime sleepiness and fatigue.
Why teens struggle with sleep
There are numerous reasons teens struggle with sleep, and several strategies exist to address those causes.
Teens often have more trouble falling asleep than when they were younger due to growth spurts and body changes. Rapid body changes, especially in adolescence, can disrupt sleep. This happens because their growth phase causes their circadian rhythm – the body’s internal clock – to reset, delaying their sleep cycle (see graphic).
Stress, anxiety and worry are other common reasons for sleep problems. Teens are dealing with more stress than their younger peers, which can interrupt their rest and recovery at night. Late-night phone, social media use, and sports or other physical activities close to bedtime can also make it more difficult to fall asleep.
Other causes of sleep trouble include health conditions like iron deficiency. Teens who do not have enough iron may have symptoms such as cramps and involuntary movements in their legs that can wake them up.
Not getting enough sleep can lead to all sorts of potential problems, such as crankiness and low energy, mood changes, high blood pressure, weight problems and obesity, headaches, behaviour problems, and difficulty concentrating, paying attention and remembering things.
Lack of sleep can even affect a part of a teen’s developing brain that helps control impulses.
This may be why sleep deprivation is linked with higher rates of risky behaviour, such as fighting and substance use.
How teens can sleep better
Despite lack of sleep being a common issue for teens, here are some tips to help you sleep better.
Exercise can help you sleep better. Young people of all ages need to move throughout the day and get plenty of physical activity. That said, try to avoid sports and other types of exercise too late in the evening so there is time to unwind. Spending some time outdoors each day can also support a healthy sleep-wake cycle.
Making sure your schedule allows for rest and recovery time is crucial. Having too much on your plate can make it challenging to get enough sleep. If you are running from one after-school activity to another, you cannot finish your homework until later at night.
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Having time to relax can be helpful, too. Engage in relaxing activities in the evenings, such as reading a book that is not on a screen, meditation, stretching, listening to soft music or journaling.
You can also make sleep easier by keeping your bedroom cool, blocking out any light with curtains and using fans or noise machines to drown out other noise.
What should I avoid doing before bed to sleep better?
Blue light from phones, computers, tablets, TV and even night lights can trick the brain into thinking it is daytime. Over time, that can disrupt your natural levels of melatonin, a chemical that tells us we are sleepy.
Even just a tiny bit of blue light coming from an electronic device can stop the release of melatonin. Giving buffer time between bed and screen time can help make sleep easier. Put all screens away at least an hour before bedtime, and charge devices outside your bedroom overnight.
Eating late, especially consuming caffeine, can negatively impact sleep patterns. Aim to eat dinner a few hours before bedtime and eat whole foods that are easier to digest. Food sensitivities or substances that cause indigestion may disrupt your sleep.
It is important to remember that caffeine can stay in the body for more than eight hours, depending on a person’s metabolism. As such, avoid caffeine after lunchtime.