From the article: Teenagers and Sleep
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) recommends that teens get a little more than nine hours of sleep per night. How do you encourage your teen to go to sleep at a reasonable bedtime? Share Your Advice
Teen Bedtime Thoughts
- I believe that teens under the age of 16 should have a bedtime between 9 and 9:30. Sometimes, they only want to go to bed later because of peer pressure. In the morning they can not function when they don't get enough sleep. It's up to us parents to set up those rules and we shouldn't feel bad about it because we want to know that they are all right when they walk out the door. They will have a clear mind and will be able to concentrate in class better when they are wide awake and not falling asleep at their desk. After 16, a little later is good as I know from experience that they have more homework to do. 10 to 10:30 is reasonable. With my kids, a good thing that worked is that they only had one hour of TV and one hour of computer use on schooldays. It had to be used after homework was done. Everyone had to be in their room by 9. They could read if they wished to or if they had time left before their bedtime. That helped them relax at end the day in a calm atmosphere.
- —fleurdelis3
Time to Connect
- I like the comment about reading to her teen. I have a soon to be 14 yr old daughter and we do that sometimes too. We like the un-interrupted time to just be together, talk, joke around, share what's going on in both of our lives, etc. We have similar tastes in books so it's nice to share and then we have something in common to talk about during the day too. Sometimes we watch one TV show together before bed. As long as I make myself available for approximately 30 minutes to connect with her, she's more willing/able to go to sleep.
- —Guest Mom of 2
A Nice Way to End the Day
- I also have trouble getting my 15 year old daughter to bed. I don't like going to bed before her because then she stays up even later. But I have to get to sleep as I get up early. One thing that works sometimes and might not work for all, is that I will read to her. For a while we did this every night (yes, at age 15) and it really calmed her down and we also had some really nice conversations that came up in relation to what we were reading. I'm trying to get this going again, as I hate her to end her day on the computer. It was a nice way to end the day.
- —bathmemom
A Teen Doctor's Response
- As a specialist in adolescent medicine and a mother of teens, I would suggest that parents teach their children important relaxation techniques early and often. Teens often cannot "settle" themselves to sleep at a reasonable time after they have spent the evening multi-tasking and working on a screen. They need to learn how to separate from the media and get themselves into a calmer state with lowered heart rate, blood pressure and thoughts.
- —AnnEngellandMD
Bedtime Before Parent's Bedtime
- This has been a topic of discussion at our house as of late. My son is 14 & his bedtime is 9:30 on most week nights. He has been complaining to us because most of his friends have a 10 or 10:30 bedtime...during the week! Our house rule is that the kids aren't allowed to stay up later then we do, so if we go to bed so do they. In this day & age of technology & all that is available for teens, we want to know what's going on & if we're asleep we can't monitor activities. We also have a compliant child who may not always agree with our decisions, but does follow the rules.
- —Guest Boy's Mama
Log Your Teen's Sleep Pattern
- As we know, each child is different and not everyone needs the same amount of sleep. Monitoring your child and their sleep habits can give you a good place to start. Have your teen log his bedtime, the time he awakens and how he feels for a week or more can give you both a realistic view of what he needs. This activity can help your teen feel like he has a say in the matter and less like mom and dad are just making more rules.
- —MsOnyx
