If you are a parent of a teen or even a pre-teen, you know that every morning, the wakeup call is going to be a battle. No matter what tricks you try it always seems to be a never ending battle of yelling “wake up” what feels like 100 times! Don’t worry you are not alone in this fight, so why are these children so hard to wake? There are many reasons but biology is a contending factor.
Circadian Change
Your circadian rhythm determines when you feel most awake and most tired during a 24-hour period. This rhythm works alongside your body’s sleep/wake homeostasis, which is what tells you to go to bed. When your child was little, their internal clock set bedtime around 8 or 9 p.m., but as their body grew, their circadian rhythm shifted, causing them to feel more alert later in the night. Usually, teens start to feel tired after 11 p.m. or later.
Poor Sleep, Bad Grades
A study by the Journal of School Health has showed that almost 90% of teens have reported that they do not get adequate amounts of sleep with many sleeping much less than nine hours which is what their growing bodies need. Adding the lack of sleep to early arrival times for school makes a messy morning for any child and parent.
Why Does My Teen Sleep So Much?
The University of California Berkeley published a study in the Journal of Adolescent Health that looked at the sleep habits of 2700 teens. The discovery was not only were 30 percent of the students staying up past 11:30 p.m., but this group was also behind in academic and emotional development when compared to teens who got to bed early.
Sleep Tips for Teens
Get ahead of the game by implementing some (or all!) of these sleep tips into your teen’s routine:
Stick to a schedule as best as they can. Sleeping different throughout the weekend can disrupt their weekly schedule making it hard to get that necessary sleep needed to function properly in school.
- Bedtimes should be set and even though they may think they don’t need a set time or it’s too childish, it’s what’s best for them.
- Start preparing them for bed an hour or two beforehand by turning down the lights to get them to slow down and unwind.
- Staring at electronics for hours can be exhausting so setting a limit and having them unplug, can be the best way to for them to get the rest they need.
- Morning routines are never easy, so prepare the night before to make that morning routine a little less hectic.
- Caffeine consumption is also something that should be monitored as that can gravely affect their sleep patterns.
- Try chamomile tea or; lavender essential oil both are known to help with relaxation.
- Unplugging from electronics is important but so is turning off the T.V. Keeping the room dark will allow your child to fall asleep faster and remain asleep.
Stress can also impact their sleep schedule and pattern. If your child is under a great deal of stress reach out to our Atlanta chiropractors so they can get a chiropractic adjustment in the spine which can help decrease the effects of stress. Call us today at (404) 889-8828 for a consultation!