Every morning, I wake up with the same feeling, complete exhaustion. Dark circles under my eyes, I yawn more than I can even speak. Then, like clockwork, my mom repeats the same phrase, “Tonight, you will be productive and get a good night’s sleep.” When I get to my first class, I practically fall asleep at my desk. Like my mom, my teachers repeat their line of questioning, “Are you ok? Did you get enough sleep last night?”. Alas, my mom’s desire for me to get a goodnight’s sleep is always unfulfilled, and the answers to my teacher’s questions are always “No, and I am so tired.”. Sound familiar? My sleeping habits, along with many other teens, are alarming.
According to the American Academy of Sleep and Medicine, teens are supposed to get between 8 to 10 hours of sleep a night. But, with the amount of nightly homework, outside-of-school requirements, and at-home stressors, getting 8 to 10 hours of sleep is frankly IMPOSSIBLE! How could we possibly get all our work done and still fulfill the goal of a goodnight’s rest?
Do we really need all that sleep? Yes! Getting the recommended hours of sleep is incredibly important for a teen’s physical health and mental health. Poor sleep can result in an increased risk of obesity, diabetes, injuries, as well as poor mental health, trouble paying attention, and behavioral problems. While teens often appear unfocused or daydreaming during a class or a conversation around the dinner table, they are really just tired. Moreover, lack of sleep can lead to short tempers and participation in riskier behaviors. Lastly, a teen’s lack of sleep can lead to poor academic performance. A survey of 1000 parents showed students in the 10th-12th grades that get less than seven hours of sleep a night mostly scored Cs on tests in school. This is a stark contrast to teens who averaged 8.1 hours of sleep a night and scored mostly A’s on tests.
The benefits of getting a good night’s sleep are every teen’s dream. Sleep allows teens to learn better, pay more attention, get better grades, stay healthier, grow, and increase their well-being. So, when your parents yell to go to bed, it makes sense.
It is really important that we all pay attention to our sleep. Anneka Ward RN BSN, one of the Fieldston Upper School Nurses, noted that sometimes there are symptoms related to sleep that require help from a doctor. These symptoms could include “suffering from ongoing illnesses, mood changes (feeling sad or anxious more frequently), eye twitching muscle spasms, severe changes in academic performance, withdrawing socially or not finding joy with things that used to bring you happiness.” If you suffer from any of these symptoms talk to your parents, doctor or the school nurse.
We might procrastinate, scroll on social media, and stay out late but not getting the recommended hours of sleep is not all our fault. I wish it were easy to go to bed at a good hour, and believe me, walking up well-rested and ready to tackle the day would be a welcomed change!. However, our biology gets in the way.
Completely out of our control, there are biological factors that play into why sleep patterns change during the teenage years. Interestingly, when entering the teen years, our internal biological clocks reset. All of a sudden our bodies are telling us to fall asleep later and wake up later. This happens because the brain hormone melatonin, also known as the sleep hormone, is released later in the night in teens compared to adolescents and adults. Moreover, this biological change coincides with the changes in a teen’s life. During the teenage years, pressures around time for schoolwork, athletic performance, after-school activities, and jobs increase, and it feels as though there is not enough time in the day to fulfill these responsibilities.
Then, of course, there is the effect of electronics. After a long day, nearly every teen wants time to unwind. Many choose to settle down by watching videos, TikTok, and texting their friends. While this may seem harmless, studies show electronics can ruin your sleep. Devices not only increase your sense of alertness but also suppress the production of melatonin just at the time you are trying to calm your body and go to sleep. It is a universal problem. Unsurprisingly, a report by the Sleep Foundation found that 89% of teens keep at least one device in their bedroom at night.
Early school start times also cut sleep short. No teen can possibly fall asleep early enough to get 8 hours of sleep when they have to wake up for school in the early hours of the morning. Most schools start around 8 AM. Just do the math. On average it takes 30 minutes to get to school. Most people wake up, get dressed and eat breakfast before walking out the door. Therefore, at a minimum you are waking up at 7 AM. To get 8 hours of sleep you are sleeping by 11 PM. To get 10 hours of sleep you are sleeping by 9 PM. It is never happening! And, there is no use in trying to catch up on sleep during the weekends. This trick does not work. Sleeping late on the weekends just screws up your whole sleep schedule for the following week.
If you thought there couldn’t be any more factors affecting teen abilities to sleep, you would be wrong. Mental health issues like anxiety and depression can also result in a poor sleep schedule. The weight of all these factors creates relenting pressure and adds even more stress to teens’ lives, which makes sleeping even harder… it’s never ending.
So, what can we do about it? Get less homework! Become more efficient with our work. All easier said than done. Nurse Ward noted that one silver lining of the pandemic is the increased importance of self-care. “Today people are encouraged to make sleep a priority and sleep more hours.” First, it is important to have the right perspective. Nurse Ward emphasized, “One night of not great sleep is ok but focus on the overall big picture and work to get between 7-9 hours of sleep a night”
Talking with Nurse Ward and conducting research we put together a list of ideas to help with sleep. If you are struggling, pick a few tips and give it a try. Start with creating a bedtime routine that you can stick to consistently. Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day. Look for ways to unwind at the end of the day. Practice relaxation techniques. There are great apps like Calm or Headspace that teach meditation and have specific meditation for sleep. Avoid doing homework immediately before (or in) bed, and avoid TV and computer use before bed.
Set the right mood and room conditions. The ideal setting for sleep is a comfy bed with your favorite blanket or sheets. Make sure the room temperature is cool. Dim the lights to start but then make sure your room is as dark as possible. Cover up any beeping lights. Finally consider a room spray, like lavender. Lavender is known to ease anxiety and promote a sense of calm. Moreover, Nurse Ward loves to use a white noise machine. “A white noise machine is a great tool to add to your sleep routine. The machine helps get you to sleep and stay asleep by blocking outside noises. It’s best if you use an actual sleep machine and not your phone or computer, since it’s best if the machine is on the whole night. An average sleep cycle lasts about 90 minutes, so the machine helps reduce full wakings by allowing us to connect the cycles quicker.”
In addition to routines and environment, there are several things we can do during the day to make nighttime better. Experts suggest limiting or avoiding caffeine, especially later in the day. Exercise during the day to get rid of extra energy. Resist overscheduling yourself. Learn to say No! Finally, try napping. “Research shows that napping 10-45 minutes (before entering REM sleep) can increase performance.”
It is clear that getting a good night of sleep is critical for a teenager’s wellbeing. Importantly, parents and teachers need to recognize when lack of sleep is affecting a teen and work to address the issues. Every teen feels incredible pressure to accomplish all their goals, and the pressures we face keeps us up at night. Parents and teachers should support teenagers and start to put less time pressure on them. Relief from parents and teachers plus implementing a few of the tricks and tips discussed, teens’ sleeping are sure to improve. Let’s get under our weighted blankets, turn on the white noise machine, spray some lavender and drift off to dreamland. Check out PEWS #2 in a bathroom stall near you to review some tips!
