How Sleep Play an Important Role in Mental Health of Teenagers?
Sleep is like fuel for the brains of teenagers. Good sleep is a basic necessity for our body to function properly daily. Teenagers need more sleep hours than adults because their minds and body are developing quickly.
However, according to scientific research, teenagers do not get enough hours of sleep. For better functioning of their body and mind, teenagers need about 8 to 10 hours of sleep regularly. In addition, teens may be unable to get enough sleep because of their heavy study schedules.
Therefore, they must try to get as much sleep as possible wit the help of Beaux Reves If you want to know more about teenagers’ effective sleep schedules, you can go to beauxreves.fr. On this website, you can also get more information about sleep disorders. Also, you will find the solutions to cure sleep disorders.
Why Do Teenagers Need More Sleep?
The brain in adolescents is developing, and as we know, sleep is essential for the development of the brain. The prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain responsible for decision-making and regulating emotions. Therefore, this part is specifically sensitive to sleep deprivation.
Teenagers who are facing sleep deprivation are at risk of facing many intellectual, emotional, and behavioral issues. In addition, many cognitive problems are also linked to the deprivation of sleep as:
- Issues of memory
- Less interest and focus in studies.
- Poor decision making
- Reduced problem-solving ability
Teenagers are also facing many emotional and behavioral problems due to the disturbed sleep cycle:
- Frequent mood swings
- Negative attitude toward everything
- Difficult to control the emotions
- Risk of depression and thinking about the suicidal activities
Despite these emotional and cognitive problems, most teenagers face many other issues. These issues include poor performance in studies and frequently remaining absent and arriving late to school.
How Much Do Teenagers Need to Sleep?
Teens are required to sleep about 8 to 10 hours daily to keep their bodies fit and active. However, the National Foundation for Sleep found that near about 85% of teens are taking less than 8 hours of sleep. So now the question arises your teenage child is in this list?
It is very common for adolescents to develop irregular sleep cycles. They usually develop a routine of sleeping late at night and waking up early in the morning to go to school. As a result, they sleep too much on the weekend days to recover their sleep deficit that developed during the weekdays.
Sleeping more on the weekends only leads to a delay in the body clock. This delay makes it difficult for the teens to sleep at the right time during the hard-working weekdays. This inconsistent sleep schedule puts them in a harmful situation, where they feel increasingly tired on the regular days as the week pass.
Symptoms of Sleep Deprivation
Teens usually face the most common health and emotional problems as the signs of insomnia or sleep deprivation. However, depression is also linked to insomnia, which is the most worrying symptom. The National Foundation for Sleep found that half of the teenagers who are taking less sleep are depressed and experiencing stress in their daily life.
- Other symptoms caused by the lack of sleep or insomnia in teens include:
- Teens are either finding it hard to fall asleep and night or they are waking up from incomplete sleep.
- They remain irritable during the whole day.
- They feel constantly tired during the whole day.
- They are also lacking focus on studies.
- They frequently remain absent or regular at work.
Reasons for Sleep Deprivation in Teens
Insomnia or sleep deprivation can occur in teens because of many psychological, physical, and emotional causes, including:
- Irregular food habits
- Lack of right direction
- Depression
- Family problems
- Restless hours of working
- Anxiety
If you are a parent of a teenager, then you must remember that insomnia is not only caused by the mentioned causes. It might be why he or she is suffering from any other mental or emotional problem.
Treatments for Lack of Sleep
Before you move to the doctor to treat your sleep disorder, you must analyze it and find the root cause of the problem. For teenagers, sleep hygiene is the most preferred treatment by doctors. Sleep hygiene is the treatment for regulating the daily schedules of teenagers.
Following the sleep hygiene treatment, the person needs to set regular bedtimes and eliminate caffeine from their regular diet. Moreover, they need to decrease the use of mobile, laptops, and television. All these devices produce blue light, which keeps a person’s brain active, and an active brain can’t fall asleep early.
In most cases, creating a consistent schedule for bedtime and other activities can quickly cure insomnia. However, when the problem is not solved by following the sleep hygiene method, it is advised to consult a doctor. There’s a famous saying that untreated insomnia in teenagers can result in chronic insomnia in adults.
Things Teenagers Can Do to Get a Better Sleep
If teenagers follow a consistent timetable, they can cure their sleep disorders and have better mental health. In addition to following a consistent timetable, they can also follow these things to have sound and better sleep.
Start Your Day in the Sunlight
When you wake up in the morning, you can walk in outdoors for 5-10 minutes to take a sun bath. Moreover, you can also sit in the sunlight and eat your breakfast. As sunlight helps to regulate the body clock, and it also keeps you fit and active all day.
Encourage Connection
As a parent of a teenager, you should talk to your children about their daily life. By sharing their problems, your teens can relieve their stress and can have a sound sleep. Talking to your child will also help you to know their future perspective of them.
Encourage Naps in the Afternoon
Teens returning from school can take afternoon naps for 1-2 hours. These afternoon naps will help to rejuvenate the minds of the children.