As a parent, you understand the importance of ensuring that your children, especially teenagers, get enough sleep. With the increasing workload at school and the growing significance of academic performance, it is essential for teenagers to get adequate rest. However, many teens tend to stay up late despite reminders to go to bed, and as a result, they often appear tired and unprepared for the day ahead. By mid-morning, they may even struggle to stay awake in class.
Before you assume that your teen is being defiant in refusing to stick to a bedtime or is just too into their Facebook-ing activities for their own good there may be a problem you are overlooking. Insomnia in teenagers is far more common than most adults (especially parents) might imagine. In fact in one study of teenagers aged 13-18 90% of them reported that they had trouble getting to sleep and staying asleep at least once a week.
The causes of teenage insomnia are just as numerous as those for adults. Instead of ignoring the problem, it’s important to address it so that growing kids can perform at their best during the day.
Teenage Insomnia Causes
Before attempting to address occasional teen insomnia, it’s important to identify the underlying causes, as they will dictate the appropriate treatment. Common causes of teenage insomnia include:
Body Clock Issues – When we are little our body clocks function very well and it tells us when it is time to go to bed (as do our parents!) At the onset on puberty often that natural rhythm becomes disturbed and can result in difficulties in falling asleep.
“Excessive Caffeine Consumption: When they were younger, teens were probably not allowed to drink coffee. However, as they get older, a trip to Starbucks can become a daily habit, especially if they are seeking an energy boost after having trouble sleeping the night before.”
Too much caffeine throughout the day is often a cause of insomnia in teens and it is not just coffee that is the culprit. Energy drinks like Red Bull that are so trendy right now can be even worse, as can many sodas.
Plain Old Stress – The teenage years can be very stressful. As we mentioned, school gets a lot harder and then there are all the problems and angst that come along with being a teenager in general to deal with. Stress and worry at any age can be a trigger for insomnia but it can all be amplified in a teen.
Teenage Insomnia Remedies
Although a trip to the doctor may be necessary if their insomnia is chronic, there are some simple things you can try at home that may help solve the problem:
Have Kids Cut Back on Caffeine – Suggest that your teen reduce the amount of caffeine they consume without banning it completely. Encourage them to switch to decaffeinated soda, quit the energy drinks altogether and limit their coffee intake to just one or two cups a day.
Remember to implement winding down time. You may find it difficult to remove the video game console or TV from your teen’s room altogether, but you can insist that all computers, TVs, and video games are turned off at least a half hour before bedtime. This will give your teen’s brain a little time to relax.Fighting zombies right before bed might be fun but it is often not very conducive to a good night’s sleep.
Encourage Them to Share Their Worries – As also previously mentioned, stress and worry is a major cause of teen insomnia but most teenagers will not always willingly come to you to discuss many off their concerns. Therefore, it is the responsibility of parents to engage in conversations with their older children, in order to understand their concerns and address them sensibly.
Encourage Exercise – These days a lot of teenagers would rather hang out in their room than get outside and exercise. Exposure to natural sunlight is crucial for maintaining good sleep patterns though and even a little extra exercise during the day can make for a better night’s sleep.
The best scenario of all? Get out there with them. An evening stroll with your family or a weekend kick around is not only beneficial for everyone but also a great opportunity for bonding.
