

Sleep: Are you getting enough?

“I’m just gonna go home and take a nap first!” said all of the teenagers in the world.

Okay just kidding, maybe we all don’t do that… but still a fair percentage of us do! Are we getting enough sleep? How much do we need? Most studies claim that the average teenager needs 9 hours of sleep to function.

Is that even possible?!

I think teenagers get a bad rap on how tired their bodies are.  I know my parents are often concerned with how much I sleep but studies show it is normal to sleep this much at our age! In fact, during the teen years, the body’s circadian rhythm  is temporarily reset, telling a person to fall asleep later and wake up later. This change seems to be due to the fact that the brain hormone melatonin is produced later at night for teens than it is for kids and adults, making  it harder for teens to fall asleep early.

The pressure to get into college and go to on a succeed in life is way more intense as teenagers than it is as kids, and studying takes up most of our time (I’m sure it will in college too!). On top of all of that, add jobs, sports, and extracurricular activities leaving no time to fit in nine whole hours of sleep!

Early start times in some schools may also play a role in this sleep deficit. Teens who fall asleep after midnight may still have to get up early for school, meaning that they may only squeeze in 6 or 7 hours of sleep a night. A couple hours of missed sleep a night may not seem like a big deal, but can create a noticeable sleep deficit over time.

Personally, I have to up in the morning by six and in order to get the recommended nine hours of sleep, I would have to go to bed at seven pm. That’s crazy! So the question then becomes how do we get more sleep?!

Well you could set a regular bed time, but let’s be honest, most of us at 17 or 18 years old and we don’t want to be told we have to go to bed a certain time but there are little things you can do like put down your computer or cell phone. You don’t need to talk to someone until 1 oclock in the morning on a Tuesday.

Next, stop taking so many naps! If you are going to nap make sure it is only for half an hour. If your naps are too long it may take away from the sleep you need at night.

Lastly, go to sleep in a dark environment and wake up in a bright one! You are more likely to fall asleep in a dark room and you are more likely to wake up if there is a bright light on!

Good luck my friends, and sweet dreams.

Delaney McDonough