How to Help a Teen Who Can’t Sleep
By Catherine Pearson for The New York Times
Nearly a quarter of adolescents grapple with insomnia. Experts say small habit changes can make a big difference.
With packed schedules, school days that kick off at 8 a.m. and the lure of screens, it’s little wonder that many adolescents in the United States don’t get enough sleep.
National estimates suggest about six in 10 middle schoolers get less than the recommended nine to 12 hours of sleep a night, while about seven in 10 high schoolers clock less than the recommended eight to 10 hours. And more than one in five adolescents grapple with insomnia, characterized by problems falling asleep, staying asleep or getting sufficient quality sleep (or some combination thereof).
“There are two basic things that happen” when teens hit puberty, said Dr. Judith Owens, the director of the Center for Pediatric Sleep Disorders at Boston Children’s Hospital. “The first is that there’s a shift in their natural circadian rhythms, so their natural fall asleep time and wake time shift later — by up to a couple of hours. The second thing that happens is their sleep drive slows.” So not only do adolescents want to stay up later, but their bodies are actually capable of doing so, she explained.
Despite these biological shifts, experts stress that sleep loss is not a normal or natural part of adolescence..
Here are some tips:
Change one poor sleep habit.
Consider a harm reduction approach to screens.
Encourage “strategic napping,” but be wary of the weekend catch-up.
Help your teen ruminate less.
For details on each tip, read the full article here.