Proper Sleep is Essential for Teens..But..
We all know how important it is for us to have rest and relaxation..time to unwind. In the same way, proper sleep is essential for many of our body functions to work properly..not to mention our attitudes. Sleep is Essential for Teens! What has prompted me to write about such things?
We had an extremely busy weekend…more than the usual..which is extreme! I could barely drag myself out of bed this morning and my brain was so foggy. After taking some time to wake I went upstairs to wake my 13 year old daughter for school. The response, “I already know!” in a very grumbly voice. So I left…I’ve learned not to respond or take these things too personal.
My son sets his own alarm so I left him alone. I went downstairs to have a little more quiet time before the whole house was awake and I had to start breakfast. Checking my emails…peacefully..my daughter comes down..jerks open the freezer..opens a carton of ice cream and says “Who ate all the strawberry ice cream!!”
Ok..Why in the world did she do that? Since when did ice cream become an issue at 6:00 in the morning? She throws open the drawer and grabs a bagel and puts it in the toaster. Our dog LOVES toast..that’s because my husband gives him pieces of his toast..so now when anyone has something from the toaster the dog is under your feet the whole time your making it, begging for his share.
That did not go over so well with my daughter this morning. I looked over at her as she began to tell our dog how stupid he was and how if he didn’t get away from her she was going to put him outside! She said this in a much meaner tone than I’m making it.
I realized I had not heard my son get up and hop in the shower so I decided I better head up to his room and make sure he was up. Nope, he wasn’t. “It’s 6:17..get up” I said in this nice voice..”I KNOW!!” he shouts. “Well if you know then why aren’t you up? Get up now..your running late.” I say. “I KNOW” he shouts..Oh boy..I’m going to slip out of here…
Sleep is Essential for Teens!
Did you know:
-
- Sleep is so important to our well-being, as important as the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat. It can even help teens to eat better and manage their stress better.
- Biological sleep patterns shift toward later times for both sleeping and waking during adolescence – meaning it is natural to not be able to fall asleep before 11:00 pm.
- Teens need about 9 1/4 hours of sleep each night to function best (for some, 8 1/2 hours is enough). But most teens do not get this amount of sleep at all. One study found that only 15% reported sleeping 8 1/2 hours on school nights. That’s not too many is it.
- Teens tend to have irregular sleep patterns across the week – they typically stay up late and sleep in late on the weekends, which can affect their biological clocks and hurt the quality of their sleep.
- Some teens suffer from treatable sleep disorders, such as narcolepsy, insomnia, restless legs syndrome or sleep apnea.
Do you think that most teens average about 8 1/2 hours to 9 1/4 of sleep a night? NO WAY! If they stay up until 11:00 and have to be up by 6..that’s 7 hours..That is IF they fall asleep by 11:00. My teen texted me at Midnight last night saying that he could not fall asleep. Ugh!
Too much over stimulation and late nights this weekend!
I’ve read a lot of different ideas on how to suggest your teens get enough sleep. However sooner or later they must take responsibility for there own sleep habits. They are smart. Here are some of the things I do to try to get my teens to have good sleep habits:
-
- No texting once in bed..phones OFF
- No computer right before bed. Too much Facebook and friend stimulation isn’t relaxing right before bed
- Also no over stimulating Gaming on Game Station right before bed
- We try to watch something really low key on TV with the girls..like “I Love Lucy or Andy Griffith” something silly. Our son stays up a little later so he is usually on the computer (in the same room) when we are watching. However he listens and chuckles.
- have a little bed time routine so that they are ready for the next day. Do a little mental checklist with your kids. This can relieve a lot of stress that kids can have for Monday mornings.
- We try to teach them to be good stewards of their bodies and part of that is letting them know that proper sleep is essential to healthy athletic bodies.
We try to remind them that God created night time for sleep. It was His idea that our bodies rest. That it’s a time when our bodies heal and grow.
Even with being diligent to help my teens be be good stewards of there bodies and time, it is still difficult for a teen to get the sleep they need.
An overly busy weekend at our house can turn into an ugly Monday morning if we are not careful. How about you? Do you have suggestions?
I’ve heard it suggested that schools start later for the High School years and earlier for the elementary years. What do you think about that idea?
I have so much to look forward too! 🙂
Yes you do Esther!! LOL 😛
This post reminded me of my little brother and how whinny he was when he didn’t get a good nap. The picture you used was spot on with his crankiness. Even for myself, when my body tells me it just wants to rest, I love taking a nap and just relaxing so I can get the break I need.
Oh I definately need my sleep too or I’m just as bad if not worse than my kids! LOL Isn’t that a funny picture..I’m Ernie going in there room all chipper in the morning and that’s my teen’s being a Bert!.. They have there own alarms..but do you think they get up every morning to them?! Oh brother! Thanks for stopping by!!
We usually overlook the benefits of having enough sleep in our lives. Thanks for gently reminding us with this post.
Your welcome Sarah..trust me..I need to be reminded too now and again..LOL 🙂
one of my younger brothers has a disability that only affects him negatively when he doesn’t get the sleep he needs.
As a mom now I can see how lack of sleep affects me, but then its so dang hard to get the sleep I need with a family and young kids. Oh well! thanks for this great article
Hi Elizabeth! Oh for sure us Moms have a definate lack of sleep sometimes..Sleep is so very important for everyone.. I personally think we are a sleep deprived nation..but of course that comes from a MOM LOL Thanks for stopping by! Blessings!
It is funny Shari, you must be talking to me not just the teenagers. I need to work on getting adequate sleep. Thanks!
LOL your funny Ugochi! I can’t function without sleep 🙁 Thanks for stopping by! Blessings!
Hi there Shari! I’m stopping by from my Blog Frog Community. As a mom of a tween, I definitely know this scenario all too well, although my son does his grumbling where we can’t hear it. LOL! I’m finding that just letting him know that bedtime will have to come earlier during the school week, and also letting coaches and others know that while we value his other programs, homework, and sleep balance come first. It’s been a long haul, but things seem to be working out for the better.
Hi Natasha! Thanks for stopping by!
Yes I definately agree with setting boundries. Thankfully our coaches are in total agreement that homework comes first. Kids definately need their rest..bodies growing and active and stressed from lifes pressures..sleep is definately a requirement!
Blessings to you!
Great post. I’ve read this, that teens need at least 9hrs of sleep, but I do believe most teens have erratic sleeping habits.
Hi Donna! Yes 9 hrs of sleep..but not going to happen most of the time unfortunately 🙁 I need 9 hours of sleep too…not going to happen..:( Between the Teens changing bodies and my changing body..lack of sleep is sometimes unavoidable around here. boo hoo Thanks for stopping by!
Conviction…I need to get some sleep right now!!! LOL
Will be back to visit more of your insight posts!!!
God bless!
LOL! That’s funny! Thanks for stopping by Abigail..even for a minute! LOL Blessings 🙂
Kids are really under enormous stress these days. Yes, overstimulation is the culprit. They’ve got their gadgets and whatnot.
My daughter is only 6, and I feel that she will lose sleep as she grows older. I hope I can carry on our nightly habit of just talking quietly half an hour before bedtime. This helps calm her down.
Hi Pepperrific! Yes..it’s sad how much over stimulation there is. My kids LOVE to talk before bed and they are older. I know if you keep committed to that she will still love it..even as a teen 🙂 Thanks for stopping by! Blessings!
Great post Sheri Lynn. I think this holds true for all ages, but especially teens. We noticed more whining & meltdowns from our 10 & 3 yr olds during vacation for the same reasons you lists. I know for myself, the FB thing is huge! I have to turn it off at least 30 minutes before bed or my mind won’t relax.
Hi Torrie! So nice of you to come by! Yes I definately think this holds true for all ages. The problem with teens is that alot of it is physiological 🙁 Yes..Facebook..it’s definately hard to jump out of some wonderful reading, commenting, visiting and fall asleep shortly after 🙁 But it is fun 🙂 LOL Blessings!