SLEEPLESS IN ADOLESCENCE

Blesilda Whitaker

FACTS ONSLEEP FOR ADOLESCENTS

Adolescents need more sleep at least 9.25 hours

- Stay up later at night and sleep longer in the morning

- Older adolescents sleepier than younger adolescents

- Adolescent’ biological clocks undergo a shift as they get older, delaying their period of wakefulness by about 1 hour.

- Nightly release of the sleep inducing hormone melatonin, produced in the brain’s pineal gland, is delayed. Melatonin is secreted at 9:30 p.m. for younger adolescents and 1 hour later for older adolescents

RESEARCH

-Adolescents who slept 7 hrs or less per night engaged in more delinquent acts that their counterparts who slept 8-10 hrs (Clinkinbeard et al, 2011).

-Night-to-night variability in sleep and napping were related to depressive symptoms and risk taking behavior in Mexican American adolescents (Mchale et al, 2010)

-Adolescents who got inadequate sleep (less than 8 hrs) on school nights were more likely to feel more tired/sleepy, cranky, irritable, fall asleep in school, be depressed, and drink caffeinated beverages than those who got 9 or more hrs of sleep (Santrock, 2012).

SLEEP HYGIENE

-Bed is for sleep only.

(No reading, playing video games, or using laptop in bed at night)

-Limit drinking caffeinated or energy beverages and other stimulants before bed preferably 6 hours before bed or at all.

-Avoiding eating heavy meals or high in sugar and spice snacks before bed.

-Avoid naps

-No exercise at least 4 hours before sleep time, not even yoga.

-Prepare yourself for bed, develop a sleep ritual.

-Learn and implement relaxation and breathing techniques.

-Ensure air, light, temperature, and bed, mattress and linens in the room are comfortable, adequate and pleasant.

-Take a hot bath/shower 90 minutes before bedtime,

make it a routine.

TIPS AND SUGGESTIONS-Change school hours starting in Middle School. For example, start time can be between 8:30 a.m.-1000 a.m. and end time can be between 4:00 p.m. -5:30p.m.

-Enforce bed time hours and bed time routine. This should be part of their daily routine from wake up to sleep on weekdays and weekends.

-Limit use of electronic media and certain activities (video games; iPod; iPhone; iPad; exercise; T.V ) before bed.

-Limit amount of certain foods and drinks during the evening. “You don’t have to make a happy plate.”

MORE TIPS -Encourage healthy, but creative diets with limited sugar/caffeine and high carbohydrates . More fruits and veggies and whole grain.

-Have supper/dinner at a reasonable time.

- Relaxation techniques .

-Make meals at school more healthier and more appealing.

-Physical education classes should be mandatory for all grades at least an hour a day towards the end of the school day or in the beginning of the school day.

REFERENCES

-Santrock, J. (2012). Adolescence. New York: McGraw-Hill.

-Clinkinbeard, S. S., Simi, P., Evans, M. K., Anderson, A. L. (2011). Sleep and delinquency: Does amount of sleep matter? Journal of Youth and Adolescence.

- McHale, S. M., Kim, J. Y., Kan, M., Updegraff, K. A. (2010). Sleep in Mexican- American adolescents: Social ecological and well-being correlates. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 40, pgs. 666-679.