The Importance of Sleep for Teens

It is 9 am in the morning. My teacher pauses his lecture to wake up a student who has fallen asleep on his desk. It is 9 am in the morning. Why is this student struggling to stay awake so early into the day? And why am I also finding myself yawning, and wanting to take a nap as well? It may be getting inadequate amounts of sleep at night, an issue very common in teens. About 70% of high school students report sleeping less than 8 hours! The recommended sleep time is 8-10. 

 

Why sleep is important

For teens with busy schedules, getting the appropriate amount of sleep may seem to be the least of their priorities. Staying up late to finish homework after a busy afternoon of extracurricular activities may seem more important than getting to bed at the right time. For me, sleep feels like an easy area to compromise in. I don’t feel like I lose anything from getting less sleep, besides feeling a little bit tired the next day. And the benefits I get from staying up slightly later seem to outweigh the tiredness anyways – it feels more important to finish the homework, or textbook reading, than it is to get a full 8 hours of sleep. However, it is necessary to remember that sleep is as important as these activities. Sleep is an important time for your brain and body to repair and develop. It is needed for the brain to remove toxins, and process information from the day, as well as remember it for the future. In other words, sleep is vital for proper brain function. Additionally, inadequate sleep can worsen mental health, and compromise the immune system, making it less able to fend off illness or infections. Sleep should not feel like a throw away activity, or one that can constantly be pushed off in light of seemingly more pressing matters. 

 

Why sleep is hard to come by for teens

While sleep is so important, several factors make getting the appropriate sleep hours difficult for teens. For one, the circadian rhythms that regulate sleep cycles shift in teen years, causing teens to biologically be more inclined to stay up later at night, and want to wake up later in the morning. This is called a delayed sleep phase, which combined with early school start times, causes teens to naturally want to sleep late and still have to get up early for school the next morning. Additionally, being on screens can harm sleep, due to the blue light disrupting melatonin release, a hormone that regulates sleep. On top of that, balancing after school activities, responsibilities at work or in the home, and juggling school assignments requires time that may cause the time for sleeping to diminish. 

 

How to improve sleep

Despite the difficulties to get adequate amounts of sleep, efforts should be made to get it. Simple practices can be implemented to help teens get the sleep necessary. For one, limiting electronic usage before bedtime could be a good way to increase and improve sleep. Sleeping with screens outside of the room is a practice that I try to employ in my own life. If sleep deprived, instead of sleeping in, an afternoon nap could help alleviate drowsiness without disrupting sleep cycles as much as waking up at a much later time would. Additional tips may include starting the day with sunlight viewing to help regulate biological clocks, or trying to encourage later school start times. 

 

References:

1. 1. Good sleep for good health. (2021, March 29). NIH News in Health. https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2021/04/good-sleep-good-health 
   2. Sleep in middle and high school students | Healthy Schools | CDC. (2020, September 10). https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/features/students-sleep.htm
   3. Teenagers and sleep: How much sleep is enough? (2022, March 25). https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/teenagers-and-sleep-how-much-sleep-is-enough 
   4. The science of sleep: Understanding what happens when you sleep. (2021, August 8). https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-science-of-sleep-understanding-what-happens-when-you-sleep
   5. What to know about teens and sleep. (2024, March 7). National Sleep Foundation. https://www.thensf.org/what-to-know-about-teens-and-sleep/ 
   6. Why sleep is important for teens. (n.d.). Retrieved April 7, 2024, from https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/all-childrens-hospital/services/pediatric-and-adolescent-medicine/healthy-weight-initiative/ages-12-17/why-sleep-is-important-for-teens