The demands of modern lifestyles continue to leave many teens sleep deprived. Basically, a teen needs a minimum of 8 or 9 hours of sleep every day but most only get less than 7 hours every night. Lack of sufficient sleep takes its toll on the young minds at the wrong time. For example, a teenager might stay up late only to fall asleep in the middle of a class while at school the next day. There are many reasons a teenager might stay up late ranging from engaging in leisurely activities to the use of wrong and uncomfortable mattresses for teens.
Importance Of Adequate Sleep For Teens
Sleeping patterns for teenagers are quite different to those of young children and adults. This is because of several reasons including the changes that occur to their bodies during puberty. The physical changes increase their need for adequate sleep. However, many teens are deprived of enough sleep when they most need it. Sleep deprivation may lead to unpleasant consequences such as loss of attention during class hours, dropping grades, drowsiness while driving, lack of energy while performing extra-curricular activities, and moodiness.
There are other activities a human brain can only perform while one is asleep. For example, the brain releases hormones that promote physical growth and enhance your immunity while one is asleep. Other activities that the brain performs at this time include muscle and tissue repair, replacement of aging or dead cells, and solidifying all the daytime experiences in the memory. These activities are important for physical and emotional development among teenagers. It is therefore important to ensure that teens in your house get not only adequate but comfortable sleep. Sleep is vital for a teenager’s health, safety, and academic excellence.
How To Develop Healthy Sleeping Patterns
There are many things parents can do to ensure that teenagers in their homes develop healthy sleeping patterns. Here are a few suggestions:
• Set up a strict bedtime schedule for each day. As a parent, you can do this by setting a specific bedtime hour. This will help the teen’s body develop a healthy sleeping pattern.
• Discourage the teen from taking stimulants such as coffee, chocolate, and sodas that might prevent the body from inducing sleep. Obviously, as a responsible parent you will encourage your teen form other sleep depriving activities such as smoking and drug use.
• Avoid exercising before bedtime as this might impact on their sleep patterns.
• Ensure that the teen’s bedroom does not have too much light after the room’s lights are turned off. A dark room is ideal for a deep and comfortable sleep.
Above all ensure that your teen’s bed is properly laid out. You can achieve this by investing in the best pillows, blankets and mattresses for teens which are available in the market. The mattress should be pressure relieving and comfortable with proper support. It need not be as hard as a board but firm enough to support the teenager in a comfortable manner. Getting adequate sleep is necessary for your teen’s health, emotional well being, and academic excellence so make sure your teenager son or daughter gets enough of it in the most comfortable way.
