Why are teens so tired?

By Kim Asche
University of Minnesota Extension

Working and living around teens one learns to adapt to the tired state teens sometimes appear to be in. Note that teen sleep cycles may not match family and school schedules, but we can help them synchronize.

Teens enjoy staying up late at night and it is predictable that they will be hard to rouse in the morning. Your teen is probably no exception. But it's not necessarily because he or she is lazy or contrary. This behavior pattern actually has a physical cause. And there are ways to help mesh your teen's sleep schedule with that of the rest of the world.

Everyone has an internal clock that influences body temperature, sleep cycles, appetite and hormonal changes. The biological and psychological processes that follow the cycle of this 24-hour internal clock are called circadian rhythms. Before adolescence, these circadian rhythms direct most children to naturally fall asleep around 8 or 9 p.m. Puberty changes a teen's internal clock, delaying the time he or she starts feeling sleepy — often until 11 p.m. or later. Staying up late to study or socialize can disrupt a teen's internal clock even more.

More than 25 percent of teens report sleeping only six-and-a-half hours a night or less, according to the National Sleep Foundation. Most teens need about nine hours of sleep a night to maintain optimal daytime alertness. But few teens actually get that much sleep regularly. Part-time jobs, homework, school activities and friends often are prioritized higher than sleep.

Big deal? Absolutely. Irritability aside, sleep deprivation can have serious consequences. Daytime sleepiness makes it difficult to concentrate and learn, or even stay awake in class. Too little sleep may contribute to mood swings and behavioral problems. And a sleepy teen who gets behind the wheel of a vehicle may cause a serious accident.

Catching up on sleep during the weekends seems like a logical solution to teen sleep problems, but it doesn't help much. In fact, sleeping in can confuse your teen's internal clock even more. If one goes to bed too early, he or she may only lie awake for hours.

So what is one to do?

• Adjust the lighting. As bedtime approaches, dim the lights. Turn the lights off during sleep. In the morning, expose your teen to bright light. These simple cues can help signal when it's time to sleep and when it's time to wake up.

• Stick to a schedule. Tough as it may be, encourage teens to go to bed and get up at the same time every day — even on weekends. Prioritize extracurricular activities, limit working hours and curb late-night social time as needed.

• Nix long naps. If teens are drowsy during the day, a 30-minute nap after school may be refreshing. But too much daytime shut-eye may only make it harder to fall asleep at night.

• Curb the caffeine. A jolt of caffeine may help your teen stay awake during class, but the effects are fleeting. And too much caffeine can interfere with a good night's sleep.

• Establish a bedtime routine. Encourage teens to wind down at night with a warm bath or shower, a book or other relaxing activities — and avoid loud music, video games, phone calls and Internet use in the half-hour before bed. Take the TV out of your teen's room, or keep it off at night. Minimize other noises that might disrupt a teen's sleep, such as TV in other rooms.

• Go with the flow. Let your teen fall asleep at his or her natural bedtime for a few nights — no matter how late it may be — but insist on a fixed wake-up time.

(Kim Asche is a 4-H youth development educator with University of Minnesota Regional Extension in Hutchinson.)