Doctors’ Notes
BackTeens and Sleep
By Kari Jones, PA-C
The teenage years are unique, and teen sleep is no exception.
Young adults go through big changes including cognitive development and physical growth during the teenage years. These cognitive, physical, and hormonal changes create a shift in teen circadian cycles causing a slower onset of sleep, pushing them to stay up longer and sleep in later. Children who get tired around 9:00pm turn into teens who won’t feel sleepy until 10:00-11:00pm. Teens should aim for 9-9.5 hours of sleep per night, getting 8-10 hours most nights of the week. A lot of environmental factors can contribute to poor teen sleep including schoolwork, athletics, jobs, and use of screens and electronics. Inadequate sleep over long periods can increase risk for type 2 diabetes, metabolic disease, poor mental health, injuries, and accidents. Teens with poor sleep are more likely to have trouble with attention, suffer from depression or anxiety, or have poor academic performance.
To help your teen get the best rest, try these Do’s and Don’ts.
DON’T drink caffeine in the afternoon.
It is generally recommended to stop caffeine intake between 11am and 1pm. Caffeine can hang around in your bloodstream for 6-12hours after consumption. If consumed in the afternoon or evening, caffeine can make falling asleep and staying asleep difficult.
DO get regular exercise.
It’s good for your body, your brain, and your sleep!
DON’T eat 2-3hours before bed.
Indigestion and reflux can inhibit sleep quality.
DO practice good sleep hygiene.
- Sleeping in a cool, dark, and quiet space (like a cave).
- Have a bedtime routine. Do the same things in approximately the same order in the 30min before bed whenever possible. Take time to unwind.
- Going to bed the same time each night, and waking up the same time each day, allowing for 8-9hours of sleep. That means if you get up for school at 6am, you should aim to be asleep by 10pm, so go to bed around 9:30pm.
DON’T use screens for 30min to 1h before bed.
The light emitted by screens of electronic devises can affect hormonal sleep signals causing delay of sleep onset. Don’t game, scroll, watch, or text before bed. If you must use a screen, try wearing blue-blocking glasses during screen use to minimize the effect of the light on your sleep.
DO get some sunlight for 5-15minutes within the first hour of waking up.
Sunlight lets your brain know it’s time to get up helps to set and maintain your circadian rhythm. You should be outside, sunlight exposure indoors or through a car window isn’t the same. This still works on cloudy Pittsburgh days and never look directly at the sun.
DON’T have phones in your bedroom.
We just talked about screens before bed, smart phones and other cellular devises are no exception. Use of smart phones, particularly interactive use like gaming, texting/messaging and social media can delay the onset of sleep. Phone or device notifications can disrupt sleep.
DO have a 20-40min nap in the afternoon, or between school and dinner.
Short naps are preferable to sleeping in.
DON’T shift your regular sleep/wake times by more than 2 hours.
For example, if you generally fall asleep around 10pm and wake up for school at 6am, on non-school days don’t stay up past midnight and don’t sleep in past 8:00am. Remember, you can nap later!
We know that doing all these things every night won’t be possible, so aim to do as many as you can 4-5 nights a week. Do your best and enjoy the rest!