Surprising link a teenage habits and adult insomnia later on.
There are numerous things such as mobile phones and drinking caffeinated drinks to the start time of schools and the amount of homework set that all contribute to the amount of sleep our teenagers are getting at night.
The recommended amount of sleep a teenager should be getting is between 8-10 hours every night. The sad fact is most teens are not getting anywhere near this amount of sleep. A survey of high school students reported more than 70% of the students reported they, on average, had fewer than 8 hours of sleep during a school week.
Why is achieving 8 hours so important?
Research has shown that those teenagers that get less than 8 hours of sleep on average are more likely to take part in risky behaviours. A survey of more than 12,000 high school students found that those teens who were not getting enough sleep had an increased likelihood of drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, or using marijuana.
These teens turn to use marijuana that has links to longer-lasting effects on their sleep into adulthood.
Why is it marketed as a sleeping aid?
Therefore, it is curious that now more than ever, we see & hear of marijuana being a sleep aid. However, the latest research now suggests a powerful link to marijuana use at a young age negatively affecting someone sleep later on in life.
Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have found those teenagers that use marijuana go on to experience insomnia in their adult life. The results of the study involving 1,800 discovered a third of these participants that started smoking marijuana before the age of 17 went on to develop insomnia in their young adulthood.
What can we do?
In our role as parents, we have the critical responsibility of helping our teenagers develop great sleeping habits that will be beneficial to them well into their adulthood. There are ways you can help them. Establishing a set bedtime will help your teenager sleep longer. Follow these five sleep tips for parents of tired teens.
Through this support of healthy sleep in teenagers, we can help them make more intelligent choices to create a better tomorrow.
How can I help?
The teenager child sleep programs are specifically to help this age group. It is a combination of the younger child & adult sleep programs. By using CBT to help with stressful & uncontrollable worry. Which they face as they walked through school & the pressures of society to achieve everything yesterday. Focusing on the here and now. I help them stay present at that moment to help them be their best self.
By the time they have reached teenagers, we all know that listening to others & peers has become the way they look for outside help & guidance. I can be that positive role for your teenager. By explaining how & why they need sleep and how facing it will help them. I also offer 1-2-1 consultations to discuss the pressure they feel and help them navigate through it all.
Discovery calls – I offer a 15 min discovery call to talk about your current situation. How I can help you, and what I would do to achieve this.