Teenage Sleeping Issues

Teens need from 8.5 to 9.5 hours of sleep in order to function at their optimal capacity. Yet, according to the Mayo Clinic, more than 90 percent of teens get several hours less than that and about 10 percent get less than six hours of sleep each night. There are a variety of reasons why teens aren't sleeping and some steps parents can take to help them.

Electronic Sleep Stealers

• Teen texting may interfere with their need for sleep.

  Dr. Peter Polos reports that 77.5 percent of kids who surf the Internet or text from their cell phones have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep and exhibit signs of learning or behavior disorders. According to his recent study reported "The Huffington Post" on Nov. 26, 2010, these teens are texting more than 30 times per night after bedtime. Some of these texts are sent up to four hours after bedtime.

  Dr. Michael J. Breus, author of the "The Huffington Post" article and nicknamed the "Sleep Doctor," recommends that parents talk frankly with teens about how this behavior affects their health. Parents need to set an "electronic curfew" that requires teems turn off electronic devices an hour before bedtime and put them in another room to charge or set computers on timers. He also recommends that parents set a ritual of events for the hour prior to bedtime that helps the teen to finish up last-minute duties, tend to hygiene and move into a more relaxed state. Breus also recommends that parents set an example by following the guidelines and getting sufficient sleep as well.

Internal Clock Problems

• The Mayo Clinic reports that a teen's internal clock gets out of kilter with her biological needs. She may think that sleeping in on weekends will help to fill in the deficit, but it may make the problem worse. Teens need to set a regular sleep schedule and stick to it. Teens can take steps to regulate the internal clock by making sure than no lights are on in the sleeping area, caffeine intake is stopped two hours before bedtime, long naps are avoided and teens have a wind-down time, as advocated by Breus.

Teen Activities

• Teens may need to curtail some activities that shorten available sleep hours. Part-time jobs, extracurricular activities and other activities that get teens up too early or keep them out too late to get homework done and get to sleep on time need to be limited. While these activities may be important to the teen and worthwhile, sleep is also an important need.

  Teens need to understand that lack of sleep causes physical, mental and emotional health issues. They must understand what their bodies need and how to meet those needs so they make good choices about how they spend their time.