I’m A Sleep Expert – This 1 Change In Teens Can Be A ‘Big Shock’ For Parents

Teens are well-known for their night owl tendencies and ability to snooze until the early afternoon the following day.

And interestingly, it turns out they most likely can’t help burning the midnight oil.

Dr Sophie Bostock, a sleep expert working with Bensons for Beds, said: “During adolescence, studies have shown that the timing of teens’ body clocks can become delayed by an average of two hours, making teens sleepy later in the day, and making it harder to wake up in the morning.”

Huh!

Why does this happen?

As children get older, the timing of melatonin release (a signal to the body and brain to prepare for sleep) “gets gradually later”, said the expert.

For children under 10, melatonin is released before 8pm, whereas for teenagers, melatonin onset can be more than two hours later, at around 10:30-11pm.

“From around age 9, there is a faster transition towards a night owl preference, partly due to the onset of more hormones,” Dr Bostock said.

“This peaks between ages 15 to 17, which is typically when we can expect to see the greatest difficulty falling asleep early, and waking up early. For boys, this stays relatively stable for a decade, but girls appear to rebound more quickly towards a slightly earlier morning preference in their twenties.”

The Sleep Foundation suggests teenagers should get more sleep than adults to support their growth and development. It recommends teens aged 13-18 years old get between eight and 10 hours of sleep a night.

The bedtime shift can be a ‘big shock’ for parents and teens

Dr Bostock said the dramatic delaying of their usual bedtime “can be a big shock for parents” and can also impact many aspects of their teen’s lives.

Parents might notice their child now experiences:

Difficulty waking up, and grogginess on waking
Not feeling sleepy, or difficulty falling asleep, before 10-11pm, or in many cases, later in the evening or early hours
No appetite for breakfast in the morning before school
Lying in at the weekends by several hours
Excessive sleepiness in the late afternoon.

This sleep disruption can have a knock-on effect on school work, and can also contribute towards more impulsive behaviour, difficulties with emotional regulation, irritability and low mood, lack of energy, low motivation and even frequent health infections, said the sleep expert.

Tips for parents to support teens’ sleep

To help support sleep patterns in teenagers, Dr Bostock has the following advice:

1. Set a bedtime

Having a regular ‘set’ bedtime can help teens get more sleep – studies have shown that on average, teens with a ‘set’ bedtime get an extra 20 minutes per night, which adds up over a week.

However, teenagers need to feel bought in to any strategies to help them sleep, so work with them to agree on a bedtime that is realistic and beneficial for you all, she suggested.

2. Discuss expectations about tech use, but try to ensure there is buy-in

Parental restrictions on technology use before bed have had mixed effects on sleep, explained Dr Bostock.

Research suggests that having a cut-off time for tech use does lead to earlier bedtimes, but this only led to longer sleep duration when teens complied with wider advice about wind-down routine – so make sure they’re well equipped with the tools to also feel relaxed.

3. Get plenty of bright light in the morning and during the day

To help night owls adjust their body clocks to early mornings, they need exposure to bright light first thing – especially within the first hour after waking.

Try to get them outside into daylight for at least 15 minutes, said the sleep pro. Even if you can’t get exposure to bright light first thing, aim for them to get outside as much as possible during daylight hours, since this reduces sensitivity to light at night.

When it’s dark outside during winter mornings, a dawn simulation alarm clock can help.

And lastly, at least an hour before bedtime, start to dim overhead lights and switch off screens. You can also try using blackout blinds to make the bedroom as dark as possible, or an eye mask, to encourage sleep.