Teen Sleep? A Problem To You?

Teen sleep. It shouldn't be a Problem to you

Unless you intentionally disrupt your sleep pattern by staying awake longer during daytime and sleeping lesser during night time which causes you to be sleep-deprived or not having enough sleep.

I think lots of you do this. You know, you've got so much homework, study, sports, parties and happenings of what nots that you would want to cramp into, in one day......

So, you "brutally" cut short your sleep.

You think you can always compensate for sleep lost during the week by sleeping more at weekends.

It ain't gonna help you lots because if you deprive yourself during the week and do "catch up" during weekends, you give your body clock a shock.

Why? Because teen sleep is no different from kid and adult sleep.

You see, after your body's just getting used to the weekend sleep routine, then on Monday it's back to a different pattern.

You practically give yourself "mini jet lag" every weekend.

I can tell you this - You won't be able to "catch up" and compensate for the sleep lost. No way.

It's better to have the right amount of sleep each night, which is what you're designed for.

Well, you should put in 8 - 9 hours of sleep each night.

And it's quite easy for you to sleep this amount of sleep because during teen (and young kid) years, melatonin, a hormone produced by the pineal gland in your brain, that helps to set and control your internal clock that governs the natural rhythms of your body and helps you fall asleep, is quite substantial.

(Note: Production of melatonin decreases as you age and its level decreases significantly when you hit 60s, 70s, 80s....)

Besides this, teen sleep also revolves round how good you sleep. In other words, the quality of your sleep.

If you sleep badly, your health could be at risk and you could be a danger to others.

If you're sleepy, you're more likely to have accidents because you nod off while driving, for example. That's when most unexplained single-car crashes happen.

Your relationship with friends and classmates suffers too because you tend to be tensed up.

You cut down social activities; don't do sports and become inactive and over time could develop weight problem.

You won't be able to concentrate; won't be able to perform to your potential and you lack social confidence to relate to others.

You lose your mental creativity and flexibility.

You also become irritable.

Ooh! Don't trade in your sleep for all these "ugly" things.

If you've a non-dream sleep, these things take place:

• You relax your muscles and your body runs on automatic reflexes, ticking over at a lower metabolic rate than when you're awake
• The relaxation and metabolic slowdown then allow your body to recover from previous day's activities; to get rid of toxins and to restore energy
• You switch off the higher parts of your brain

If you've a dream sleep, these things happen:

• You've more muscle activities
• Your brain have more activities and more chaotic too but your body is still in its own rhythms

Can you see "restoration" phase is in there for teen sleep? Not getting enough sleep will carry "penalties" like the ones I describe above.

Well, very simple. Practise sleep hygiene.

You may say: "Oh! I know."

But you think it's just a cliche? Or you think it's practical everyday stuff you can practise?

Come on! The answer's obvious.

I'm listing the most powerful teen sleep hygiene that can help you to sleep soundly and deeply.

• Exercise regularly, say 3-4 times per week because it helps to create fatigue in your body and your mind takes cue from this, telling you to go to sleep.

  However, don't exercise 2 hours before bedtime as it could delay melatonin production by 1 hour, making you hard to fall asleep

• Stick to the same bedtime each night and same wake up time each morning so that your body acquires a consistent sleep rhythm
• Take the TV and PC out of your bedroom. Switch off your cell phone. Your bedroom is just for sleep, nothing else
• Sleep in the dark - this induces production of melatonin
• Go to bed in time so you get a full 8-9 hours of sleep
• Take short naps, say 10-20 minutes each session and don't take them after 4 pm as you'll be less sleepy at bedtime

Practise these sleep hygienes. I'm very sure your sleep will improve.

At your age, you should enjoy deep and sound sleep. Period.

Don't sabotage your internal clock with late nights; sleep deprivation or trade in your sleep with other activities.

You may think sleeping pills are your savior. No, they are not.

They're only short-term solutions. They won't help cure your sleep deprivation. And they have way too much ugly side effects.

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