If your teen isn’t getting enough sleep, there are a few things that you can try to help. For example: Stick to a schedule. Tough as it might be, encourage your teen to keep weekday and weekend bedtimes and wake times within two hours of each other. Prioritize extracurricular activities and curb late-night social time as needed.
Talk About Sleep. Teens need to understand how important sleep is, and that their sleep habits are changing because of their growth. They may want to go to sleep later – but that means they need to sleep later as well. So, maybe they need to pick activities that allow them to do that. “For some teens that’s not possible,” said Gellner.
Key points. Your teen’s body clock will likely make them fall asleep later at night and wake up later during the day. Help your teen keep a regular routine by reminding them how much sleep they need every night and when they should be in bed.
Problem is, missing sleep repeatedly affects every part of your life — from relationships with friends, to your ability to concentrate at college, to your mood. Many teens who miss sleep suffer with irritability, mood swings, and even depression .
Helping Your Teen to Sleep. Fortunately, as a parent, you can help your teen get the recommended amount of sleep each night by encouraging simple lifestyle changes: Limit the amount of hours your teen participates in extracurricular activities throughout the week.
Teens need about 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night to function best. Most teens do not get enough sleep — one study found that only 15% reported sleeping 8 1/2 hours on college nights.
Your teen may resist, but the easiest and most effective way to stop technology from interfering with your teens’ sleep is to leave the cell phones and screens out of the bedroom.
Have your teen follow a routine that helps them de-stress and wind down to get their body into sleep mode and send the right signals to the brain that it’s time to snooze (e.g., bath, reading, bed).
Your teen’s room needs to be a restful sleep environment. Establish a reasonable bedtime and wake time, and make this consistent throughout the week. Establish a bedtime routine, such as taking a hot bath or quiet activity beforehand. Don’t engage in focus activities such as homework and avoid electronics in the hour before bedtime.
Have your teen decide which activities are most important, and which ones could be reduced or eliminated to make time for more sleep. It’s a tough conversation to have, but time management is the key to good sleep habits.
