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Teenage Sleeping Habits

Teenagers tend to have different sleeping habits than either adults or younger children due to a combination of biological and behavioral factors. However, teens require 8.5 to 9.5 hours of sleep each night to feel and perform their best. When teens do not reach this amount a sleep deficit is created that may result in daytime sleepiness, sadness, moodiness or depression, falling grades or increased risk of accidents when driving. Understanding common teenage sleeping habits is the first step in finding healthy solutions to resolve your teenager's sleep deficit.

  1. Staying Up Late

    • The teenage brain produces melatonin, an important sleep-inducing hormone, much later at night than the brains of adults or younger children. This means that teens may not feel sleepy at bedtime and may have a hard time waking up early in the morning. Additionally, teens may feel academic or social pressure to stay up late to study or socialize.

    Sleeping Late and Daytime Sleepiness

    • Teenagers' circadian rhythms, or sleep-wake cycles, shift because of this late night melatonin production, driving them to sleep later in the mornings. Unfortunately, the drive to sleep late is often at odds with early school start times or early morning sports practices, causing teens to lose valuable sleeping time, which may cause them to struggle with daytime sleepiness. Teens may also try to make up for lost sleep by napping in the afternoon or evening or sleeping in on weekends.

    Other Behavioral Factors

    • Several common teenage behaviors negatively impact sleep schedules. Academic, sports and social activities may take up a significant amount of a teenager's time. Television, video games, the Internet and cell phones may also distract teens from sleeping. Teens may turn to unhealthy substances, such as caffeine, nicotine or alcohol, either to help them stay awake or in an attempt to relax. However, these substances only disrupt the natural sleep-wake cycle, reducing the quality of sleep and potentially leading to dependence.

    Improving Sleep Habits

    • Teens may be able to get more sleep by improving their sleeping habits. Going to bed at the same time each night and getting up at the same time each morning helps to regulate the sleep-wake cycle by establishing a set time for sleeping and waking. Limiting late night television watching, computer use and talking and texting on cell phones may also help teens settle down before bed. These habits can be replaced with more relaxing ones, such as reading, journaling or taking a warm bath or shower. Regular exercise, a healthy diet and limiting caffeine may also help teens increase their sleep quality.

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