subject: How to Cure Teenage Insomnia [print this page] How to Cure Teenage Insomnia How to Cure Teenage Insomnia
At the onset of puberty, a teenager's body undergoes serious physiological changes. Among other things, their body clock changes as they move from a child to an adult sleep pattern.
Couple this with stress at school, peer pressure and the teenage desire to stay up late, eat terrible food, party and experiment with drinking, cigarettes and drugs, it's no wonder around 90% of teens experience teenage insomnia on a regular basis.
If your teen is suffering insomnia, here are a few things you can do:
Talk to your teen about their sleeping problems. Rule out the possibility of a medical condition. Take steps to alleviate stress at school, such as dealing with bullies or asking for an extension on a particularly stressful assignment.
Encourage your teen to exercise every day. This burns off excess energy and reduces stress, making it much easier to sleep.
Eliminate soft drinks and chocolate from your teen's diet in the afternoons and evenings. These contain caffeine, which may be contributing to your teen's sleeping problems.
Remove non-sleeping distractions from your teen's bedroom. Computers, TVs and gaming consoles should be in the living room or games room. Help your teen to make the bedroom sleep-friendly. Perhaps you need thicker curtains or a new mattress.
Try herbal sleeping pills. Avoid allowing a doctor to prescribe sleeping pills to your teen. Sleeping pills can be highly addictive and give your teen long-term sleep problems. Herbal sleeping pills aren't addictive and have minimal side-effects, and many are specially-formulated for teenage sleep problems.
Help your teen overcome alcohol, smoking or drug habits: if your teen is involved in any of these substances, they could be causing serious damage to their body and their mind. As a parent, you should be proactive in helping your teen to make healthy decisions.
Sleep deprivation can cause illness, depression and increased anxiety among teens, so it's important you address teenage insomnia as soon as possible. Help your teen to find ways to manage their sleep habits better. If you've tried everything and your teen is still having trouble sleeping, it might be time to visit a doctor.
For more information about insomnia and sleep remedies you can visit the Sleep and Insomnia Guide
