You see your teen in the morning before school, and they look like they will pass out into their bowl of cereal. It seems that they are exhausted and irritable every weekday, and they stay in bed for most of the weekend. If you are wondering why your teenager is so tired, here are three possibilities that you should consider.
Undiagnosed Sleep Disorders
Sleep disorders are not as common in teenagers as they are with adults, but it’s possible for them to be secretly living with a condition like obstructive sleep apnea. Signs of the disorder are loud snoring, daytime fatigue, morning headaches and poor performance at school.
When they get a sleep apnea diagnosis, you should go to a ProfMed Healthcare Solutions to get them a CPAP machine. Continuous positive airway pressure therapy is used to keep the airway open, so they don’t snore or pause in their breathing. It’s the easiest way that your teen can get a guaranteed night of uninterrupted restorative sleep. The store will be incredibly helpful when they need to begin their sleep apnea treatment because they have low prices on CPAP equipment and other terrific products like mask pillows and anti-snoring aids.
Early School Starts
The average school start time ranges between eight to nine in the morning, and some teens come in earlier for student commitments. The school system needs to acknowledge the biological reason why teenagers need more sleep — puberty changes their internal clocks so that they have more energy late at night rather than first thing in the morning.
Their hormonal changes and the strict school schedule make it impossible for them to get their essential eight to ten hours of sleep. A better system would have later start times, giving the teens an hour or two of extra shut-eye.
Late-Night Screen Time
It’s apparent that screen time causes sleep problems for teens because their parents have noticed that they have trouble going to bed — twenty-five percent of participants in a poll made by C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital said that these struggles happen at least once a week. Teens feel compelled to be active online, update their social media accounts and answer their friends. Encourage your kids to have a cut-off time for their technology and get them to charge their phone in another room at night.
Why Is This So Important?
Sleep is an essential factor for their physical development and their mental health — the increase in diagnoses of teen depression is linked to sleep deprivation and kids with poor bedtime habits are four times more likely to suffer from it. Along with depression, they have a higher risk of acquiring anxiety and behavioural problems.
Your teen’s sleep habits will be different than your own and from any of their younger siblings. Don’t admonish them for dozing off at the breakfast table or yawning their way through classes. Work with them so that you can be sure that they get the hours they need to be healthy and happy.
