Help teens get MORE SLEEP
Q: On school days, the bus picks up my 15-year-old at 6:30 a.m., and with afterschool activities and homework, he’s sometimes up until midnight. Then, on the weekends he sleeps until noon. What can I do to get him on a better schedule?
Sleep and teenagers — they can be as hard to get together as oil and water! Many kids’ bus rides are super early, like your son’s, and schools start too early. The American Academy of Pediatrics says teens’ natural sleep cycle makes it difficult for them to fall asleep before 11 p.m., so too early a start assures that students will be sleep-deprived and their learning handicapped. That’s why the pediatrics academy recommends schools start at 8:30 a.m. or later. Let your school board know about the recommendations (at www.aap.org), and see if you can begin a campaign for change.
But that’s not the only way you can help your son establish a healthier sleep schedule. First, let him know science is on your side. Recent American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommendations say 13- to 18-yearolds need eight to 10 hours nightly! Here’s why. Lack of sleep not only makes it harder to learn and retain information, but it triggers other problems: moodiness and frustration; risk-taking, such as drinking and driving fast; slower reaction time; and drowsy driving.
Then, look at your son’s homework load and afterschool activities. Together, explore ways (study hall?) he can get homework done more efficiently. Help him to prioritize after-school activities to see what might be eliminated or reduced.
TV? Out of his bedroom! (Around 62 percent of kids have one.) It’s associated with less sleep, unhealthy weight gain and poorer academic performance! Also ask him nicely to leave his phone out of the bedroom at night. Lateat-night social engagement is overstimulating, plus blue wavelength light from screens disrupts his sleep cycle!