Teen Sleep Disturbances
Sleep difficulties amongst teens are very common, with research showing that over 70% of teens are not getting as much sleep as they need. The teenage years are a formative period in which significant bodily, emotional, and mental developments are rapidly taking place, marking the transition into adulthood.
Sleep is essential during this time, as such profound mental, physical, social, and emotional development requires good quality, healthy sleep. Without healthy sleep, teens may experience difficulties in several areas, including poorer concentration, thinking, and academic success, poorer, emotional and physical health, slowed mental and physical development, poorer problem solving and decision making, and increased risky behaviour, accidents, and injury. Poor sleep can also affect young people socially, for example, they may be too tired to maintain good relationships with their friends, family, and peers.
The causes of sleep disturbances in teens are often related to the significant developmental changes that occur during adolescence. Hormone production, brain development, social and emotional development, increased independence, time pressures, use of electronic devices, mental health issues, increased academic stress, and heightened social pressures are all factors that can come together to have a negative impact on teen sleep. In addition, the circadian rhythm of teenagers differs from those of children and adults. That is, teen bodies wait longer to start producing melatonin (sleep hormone), meaning they don’t start to feel tired until later in the evening and have more difficulty waking in the mornings for school.
For more information on teen sleep, see the teen sleep fact sheet located here.
How can you help your teen(s) with their sleep?
- Discuss bedtime with your teen. A consistent bedtime during the school week and on the weekends can help improve your teen’s sleep. While your teen may desperately want a long sleep-in on the weekend, try to get them up within 2 hours of their regular weekday time.
- Relax before bed. Our teens need to switch off from homework and relax in a quiet and calm environment as bedtime approaches.
- Use light to your advantage. Dimming the lights in the evening can boost the production of sleep hormones and getting bright light in the mornings can promote wakefulness during the day.
How can we help your teen(s) with their sleep?
Our program Tackling Teen Sleep aims to help teens become confident in their sleep. In this program, your teen will learn how to achieve reliable and healthy from young people who have experienced poor sleep. Parents and carers also receive support to guide their young person towards better sleep and to develop a stronger, more connected relationship with their teens.