While everyone knows the value of getting a good night’s sleep, many people fail to get the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep each night that they need to feel alert, refreshed, and ready to tackle their day.
Getting the proper amount of sleep is often difficult for teenagers.
Between studying for tests and quizzes, completing homework, and participating in extracurricular activities, it can be hard for teens to fall asleep at a decent hour. A student who has to travel to their away basketball game might not get home until after 10 p.m., for example, and then they might still have homework assignments to complete before they get into bed.
Even when teenagers do not have a jam-packed schedule, they can struggle to get a good amount of sleep each night because they are spending time binging shows on Netflix, browsing social media, or sending messages to friends late at night.
However, just because it can be a challenge for your teen to get the sleep they need each night, it’s not impossible.
There are steps you can take to help your teen develop good sleep habits so that they are able to wake up each morning feeling well-rested and ready to start their day.
Here are some sleep hygiene tips you can use to help your teen:
Exercise daily
Sometimes even when teens get in bed at a good time, it can take them hours of tossing and turning before they actually fall asleep. Teens can alleviate this issue by exercising every day.
Exercise has been shown to help people fall asleep faster. While it is counterproductive for teens to engage in strenuous activity right before they try to fall asleep, when teens exercise earlier in the day, it helps improve their sleep quality and makes it easier for them to fall asleep when they are ready for bed.
Avoid bright lights and screens
Bright lights, especially the light that is emitted by phone and television screens, disrupt the body’s sleep-wake cycle and circadian rhythm.
If your teen has the habit of watching an episode or two or sending messages on Snapchat before going to bed, they will likely have trouble falling asleep right away.
Set screen time restrictions for your teen so that they are reducing their screen time in the hour leading up to the time they should be in bed. This will help keep them from staying up all night because of the blue light emissions or because they want to be social.
Only use beds for sleeping
Many teens like to do their homework, watch television, eat snacks, and talk on the phone with friends all while sitting or laying down on their bed.
While these might be harmless activities, they can keep the brain from associating laying down in bed with sleep time.
Encourage your teen to avoid doing anything but sleeping in their bed, and provide them with a desk or a comfortable chair for them to read, do homework, or complete other activities. This will help their body naturally start to feel tired and ready for sleep whenever they do get in bed.
Create a bedtime routine
When your teen has a consistent bedtime routine, their body will start to wind down for sleep around the same time each night.
Have your teen complete the same activities, like brushing their teeth and putting on pajamas, each night before bedtime at the same time.
This will make it far easier for your teen to fall asleep each night because their body will recognize that it is time for them to head to bed as they complete the steps in their routine.
Set a consistent wake time
If your teen has the tendency to sleep past noon on the weekends but has to be up at six during the week, it will be difficult for their body to get into a good sleep rhythm.
Encourage your teen to try to wake up around the same time each morning on a consistent basis so that their body can get used to when they need to fall asleep and wake up each day.
Try CBT-I
If your teen battles insomnia, cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) can be an effective treatment option.
With CBT-I, therapists help teens explore the connections between their thoughts, actions, and quality of sleep. Teens will learn to reframe their thoughts surrounding sleep, develop positive sleep habits, and practice relaxation techniques that will improve their sleep quality.
When teens are educated about the benefits of sleep and how their thoughts and actions affect their ability to get a good night’s rest, they will be able to start actively working toward improving their sleep habits.