Sleep and your Teen

Sleep is as valuable in the teen years as in younger childhood. Too little sleep decreases cognitive function, and  a teens ability to remember what they have learned.

Take the time to read the link below and talk to you teen about planning and committing to a good night sleep.

Making sleep a priority is a lifestyle choice that quickly pays off. Better sleep helps young people learn more efficiently and improves their mood and athletic performance.

Making sleep a priority is a decision that every member of the family will benefit from.

Teens may model themselves on their sleep-deprived parents and peers and think they are supposed to get less sleep as they mature.

Weekend “catch -up” and sleeping in may be an occasional treat, but for a teen who is sleep deprived during the week sleeping isn’t usually enough to catch up on lost sleep-time and waking up more than an hour after regular waking time an actually make Monday mornings worse for everyone.

Sleeping in on weekends may be one of life’s small luxuries, and for many adults it is. However, when it comes to teenagers, sleeping in on weekends may be the first sign of an emerging sleep problem.

 How can parents help their teens improve their sleep patterns? 

1. Talk about sleep, wake up time and bedtime with your teen.
2. Don’t sleep in beyond an hour on the weekends.
3. Separate “Social” from “Homework” and encourage your teen to focus on the work at hand (fixed half hour periods with quick 10 minute breaks might be helpful)
4. Set a good example, make sleep a priority for yourself!
5. Work together and live the Dream 🙂

Back to School Is a Great Time for Teens to Sleep | Stanford Center for Sleep Sciences and Medicine.