Teenage children do have the habit of rising late. Does your son/daughter have that habit too? Sometimes teens have problems retiring early and rising on time for school. There are umpteen reasons for this. The most significant of them is that, in adolescence, there are a lot of changes taking place in their physiological and psychological make-up.
The sleep inducing hormone, melatonin, is released at around 1pm for teens. That is why in spite of retiring early they cannot fall asleep. Just like you have a sleep disruption during a jetlag; teens too are unable to wake up early after sleeping late.
It is true that only 70% of all teenagers have normal sleeping patterns. The other 30% suffer from various sleep-related problems. This is majorly due to the fact that their biological clocks are changing and this makes them go to bed later than they usually did when they were younger. So many times, late nights do not allow them the luxury of a good night’s sleep. Rising early to catch up with school/college and assignments deprives them of rest and recuperation.
Studies have also shown that teens require a lot more sleep than adults, a minimum of 9 hours. That is why they tend to sleep late into the day after late nights. Sleep deprivation for those who compulsorily have to be up to reach school can cause several health problems like lack of concentration, unexplained tiredness, weight gain and inadequate memory retention.
Academic performance suffers as a consequence of teenagers sleeping late. This has widespread repercussions on their future too. That is why it is so important to help your child to get into a healthy habit that provides him/her adequate sleep without disrupting schedules, both academic and social.
Here are some ways for a teenager to combat waking up late
- Write down a practical, workable schedule that helps you complete all tasks of the day including fun tasks, hobby pursuit and spending time with family
- Plan special events for weekends in a manner that you retire early on Sunday. Now you can wake up feeling refreshed and satisfied that you have had a good time plus a good night’s sleep
- Playing video games or completing assignments that need a lot of concentration should be avoided just before going to bed. Before bedtime, read something relaxing, and/or do some relaxation exercises like toe tapping and ankle rotating
- Start following your schedule by waking up early. This will make you sleepy early, especially if you have had a late night. However, you should avoid nodding off at odd times, while watching TV or while reading, so that you can fall asleep at the time you have set for going to bed
- In this manner, you will be able to sleep as soon as you lie down, sleep well and rise early
Once your teenage child manages to successfully follow this kind of schedule, he/she will become a happier person, showing improvement in academic performance too. This provides you a great sense of relief, as sleeping late no longer plagues your child.
Blurb: Sleeping late has become a habit for some teenagers, not just because of their lifestyle, but because their internal clocks do not allow them to sleep earlier. School timings and academic assignments deprive these children of vital hours of sleep and rest. This leads to several problems that affect their health later in life. It is important for teenagers to create a workable schedule, following which they can successfully sleep and rise early.