subject: Sleep Deprivation - Does Your Teen Need To Sleep Better? [print this page] Sleep Deprivation - Does Your Teen Need To Sleep Better?
How many parents dread attempting to get their teen up and going every morning for school? Neither alarm clock, music nor banging of spoons on metal pots and pans seems to make them move an inch. You might have to wonder if your teen is simply attempting to avoid going to school or is in reality really having sleeping problems.Even though teens may well look like adults, be as tall as the adults and also desperately yearn to act similar to an adult, their bodies are still developing. Consequently, teens need so much more sleep than the majority get.Long after you go to bed, your teenager is still watching a video, chatting on the phone in addition to instant messaging numerous friends all at once. Unless their parent pulls the plug on late night amusements, many teens are awake long after midnight regardless that they need to catch the 7:45 AM bus to school. That's going flat out for 14-18 hours a day in addition to attempting to get by on six hours or less of sleep!No wonder high school teachers get no joy out of that first period since so many pupils are only just awake. It can be tough to teach over their snoring. Or teens show up in class with high caffeine drinks to stay alert. Fact is - there's no substitute for sleeping, moreover repeating this sleep deprivation pattern over time is dangerous.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that more than 100,000 of us involved in auto accidents are the result of carelessness attributable to fatigue. Over half of these tiredness related accidents involve teen drivers. One can deny that remaining up late is really a problem - however inadequate concentration and slower reflexes demonstrate that you're mistaken.If your teen doesn't get sufficient sleep and seems lethargic, don't be surprised when their grades go down. It's impossible to study and retain information whilst your mind is fatigued and pressured. And to add to the list of concerns, lack of sleep is linked to depressive disorders.Regardless of whether your teen isn't sleeping as a result of remaining awake to worry or if the sleep deprivation is changing their self-image, the fact is still that teenagers require eight to nine hours of sleep to be healthy, energetic and alert in order to face the demands of the day.What is it possible to do to ensure your teen gets a good night's sleep? Lay down rules and make a real effort to follow them. If necessary, remove the TV and computer from the teenager's room until a little balance is restored.Make it a family rule to turn off the television and video games along with any other electronic stimuli not less than thirty minutes before bedtime. Maybe try using relaxing music to help them wind down. Ask your teenager to turn off their cell phone at bedtime to help them relax. If that doesn't work, remove the phone for the night. Nothing is going to occur that can't be left in the voice mail and heard the following morning.Use two separate clocks without a snooze alarm button. If your teenager fails to get up before the next alarm goes off, then you do the wake up call. Waking up in a rush just ten minutes prior to the bus is no way to start their day.Teenagers require at the very minimum a half an hour to get up, shower and have their breakfast to start their day. Dont waver,be persistent in requiring that your teen changes their sleeping patterns. If you do, you'll see an improvement in your teenager's mood, attitude, grades and also alertness.
