Teenagers and Sleep

Their alarm clock goes off at just the right time. They reach out and hit the snooze button for another nine minutes of precious sleep. When the alarm goes off for the second time, again the hand reaches out from beneath the blankets to end the racket. Five more minutes go by and you realize that you are going to have to help your child wake up and get started on their day. After twenty minutes of repeating their name, telling them they must get up, making them sit up in their bed, you realize that you will be late for work and they will be late for school, again. You are not alone; this is the typical scenario in many households.

It is not that your child is being willfully irresponsible; it is a natural biological change in their sleep patterns that may be the reason for this frustrating behavior. In late puberty the circadian rhythm that guides a person's sleep wake cycle begins to change. Heading to bed earlier may seem like the logical solution to morning sleepiness, but because of these hormonal changes they are unable to fall asleep at earlier times. When morning comes around they may have only gotten a mere five or six hours of sleep. A typical teen requires about 9 ½ hours of sleep to operate at their full capacity.

This lack of sleep can affect learning and attitude throughout the day. Most teens are too sleepy to fully pay attention in their morning classes. This is why many schools are pushing back the start time to accommodate this natural biological change. They have reported improved grades and fewer discipline problems. Simply changing the schedule is not as easy as it might seem. Both parents typically work and the change could unduly affect their home schedule. Parents who rely on before and after school care would have to make significant changes to accommodate a later start time.