I recently read this very interesting post from Scientific American:
The article reports that teenagers who don’t get a solid 9 hours of sleep may be at risk for mental health problems and the less time spent sleeping leads to greater health issues. A one hour loss of sleep led to a 38 percent increase in the odds of feeling sad and hopeless. Getting teenagers to practice good sleep hygiene so they will be able to sleep for 9 hours every night is every parents challenge! What is good sleep hygiene? Here are some tips –
1) sleep in the dark – no light at all
2) go to sleep every night at the same time
3) use your bed only for sleeping – don’t study on bed too
4) if you can’t sleep get up and do something don’t lay in bed awake
5) limit screen time prior to bed – cut off electronic devices at least 2 hours prior to sleeping
6) do not leave cell phone near your bed
7) if you have difficulties falling asleep – try aerobic exercise during the day – not at night
8) limit CATS – caffeine, alcohol, tobacco, sugar
when asked many teenagers say they text in their bed while falling asleep, that they need to have their telephone by their side while they sleep, that they need to check their phone during the night. if you aren’t sleeping or your child is having difficulties sleeping or concentrating at school, staying awake in class or has mood swings – take a look at sleep hygiene. Here is a good website on this.