How to Help Your Kids Sleep Earlier and Better: Spotting the Signs of Sleep Deprivation

Teenagers today suffer from severe lack of sleep, with mobile gadgets being a significant factor. Specialists who focus on youth sleep patterns offer advice to parents.

Managing bedtime for a teenager often turns into an everyday struggle filled with repeated requests like, "Put away your phone and get some sleep!"

Studies indicate that contemporary teens suffer from lack of sleep now more than ever. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that adolescents get between eight and ten hours of shut-eye each night.

However, almost 80 percent of U.S. teens aren’t receiving adequate sleep, which experts believe is impacting crucial aspects such as their mental well-being and class attendance.

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Bedtime rituals aren’t solely for young children; teenagers require them as well, according to Denise Pope, a specialist in child development and a senior lecturer at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Education located in California, United States.

Specialists who focus on teenage sleep suggest that making several minor adjustments to both parents' and adolescents' bedtime routines can significantly impact their rest quality. Below is their guidance.

1. An electronics-free nighttime schedule for teenagers

The initial step towards establishing an improved nighttime regimen involves managing your use of technology.

Separate children from their devices at night. Phones, tablets, streaming services and video games are not the only things keeping kids up at night, but experts agree they are a major factor in delaying sleep.

"Get the temptation out of the bedroom," Pope says.

If the phone is within arm's reach, it is hard to ignore when notifications buzz. Many teens say they fall asleep while scrolling, or reach for their phone if they have trouble sleeping, and end up scrolling for hours.

Be prepared for excuses. "My phone is my alarm clock," is something a lot of parents hear. The solution: buy an alarm clock.

Put screens away an hour before bedtime. Exposure to light prevents the release of melatonin , the hormone released by the brain that makes us feel drowsy.

2. Replace screens with a new wind-down routine

Get them to go to bed around the same time each night and start winding down at least 30 minutes before. During that time, they should silence notifications, take a warm shower or read a book.

To determine your teenager’s ideal bedtime, consider using an online “bedtime calculator,” like the one provided by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine which you can find on their website.

Steer clear of caffeine and energy drinks later in the day and during the evening hours.

The ideal sleeping space is one that is cool, dark, and silent. In bustling homes, using earplugs along with a sleep mask might be beneficial. According to adolescent sleep specialist Kyla Wahlstrom from the University of Minnesota, an overly warm bedroom can interfere with both falling asleep and remaining asleep.

3. Recognize the indicators of sleep deficiency in teenagers

These include being grumpy, short-tempered, emotionally fragile, unmotivated, impulsive, and more likely to see the world and oneself through a negative lens.

A sleep-deprived teen may also fall asleep during the daytime, in the car or in class.

"We often blame adolescents for being lazy or unruly or having bad behaviour, much of which could be attributed to the fact that they are chronically sleep-deprived," says Wendy Troxel, a clinical psychologist in the US state of Utah who has conducted numerous studies on adolescent sleep.

How do you tell the difference between a sleepy teen and a cranky-but-well-rested one? One key sign is what sleep expert Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse calls "zombie mornings".

“If your teenager presses the snooze button five times, spends ages getting out of bed, and requests a large mug of coffee as soon as they wake up, chances are they’re operating with low energy,” explains Dr. Fong-Isariyawongse, a neurologist at the University of Pittsburgh located in Pennsylvania, United States.

Drastic changes in emotions are another indicator. Adequate rest is essential for handling feelings effectively; thus, teenagers lacking sleep tend to become more easily irritated. anxious or depressed .

A sleep-deprived teen may fall behind in school, because sleep is essential for learning and memory consolidation.

Teens who sleep less are more likely to make bad choices when it comes to drug or alcohol use, drowsy or reckless driving, and risky sexual behaviour.

Does your teen sleep until lunchtime on weekends ? "Most likely they are not getting enough sleep during the week," says Fong-Isariyawongse.

It is fine for them to sleep in a bit, but try to limit it to a couple of hours. Otherwise, it disrupts the body clock and makes it more difficult to rise early once the new school week starts.

4. How can we get teenagers interested? Present the scientific evidence to them.

Explain to your teens why sleep matters, and that it is not just nagging parents who say so. The data on mental health and sleep is vast.

Numerous research findings indicate that depression, anxiety, and the likelihood of contemplating suicide increase when sleep decreases.

Beyond mood, sleep deprivation affects physical and athletic ability. That is why several NFL and NBA teams have hired sleep coaches.

Teens who are sleep-deprived sustain more physical injuries because they take more risks, their judgment is impaired, and reflexes and reaction times are slower.

Teens who get more sleep perform better in sports, and when they do get injuries, they have a quicker recovery time.

Studies indicate that more accidents involving teenagers occur due to drowsy driving compared to those caused by drunk driving. Teenagers reporting fewer than eight hours of sleep per night are more prone to engage in texting while driving, neglecting to use seat belts, driving after consuming alcohol, or riding with a driver who has been drinking.

Like any parent understands, simply instructing a teen to go to bed doesn’t always succeed. It’s essential to gain their approval first.

"Kids need to be educated about sleep, and their brain health and emotional health, and how it all ties together," says Wahlstrom.

Inform your children that 'They will perform better academically, excel in sports, and appear more refreshed with adequate sleep.' Since they won’t take action unless they decide to help themselves.

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