How does your Teen’s sleep affects their Mental Health?

Our bodies require sleep for us to recharge in order to successfully continue our daily lives.

What happens to our teens when they don’t get enough sleep?

Teens are known for staying up late watching Netflix or texting with friends. Although this may seem natural and unharmful if it is constantly done it can cause harmful changes to your teen’s mental health.

Our brains need sleep in order to develop and function properly. Without enough quality sleep, they will become mentally exhausted and they can begin to lose control of their emotions and focus. Lack of sleep is also linked to a variety of health conditions including heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Behavioral and Mood Changes

When your teen wakes up from a night of low-quality sleep, they may have trouble waking up early in the morning. Causing them to yell and fit about wanting to sleep in more. After the morning fight is over this can easily spread throughout their day. Leading them to continue the fight with their teachers, classmates, and even themselves. Lack of sleep has been known to cause teens to become impulsive, hyperactivity and react in emotional outburst.

Research has also shown that lack of sleep can contribute to the development of mental health conditions :

Anxiety can easily be developed when a child is not getting enough sleep, their performance is failing in school, and they begin to develop a short fuse. Without the recharge of quality sleep, your child may feel that their daily task are too much for them and struggle to keep up. This may lead to them becoming anxious about whether they will be able to accomplish it all. All of these symptoms create an environment for anxiety to grow.

Depression can develop when your teen is experiencing a mood disturbance due to low-quality sleep. Not being able to shut down and unwind can cause your teen to feel hopelessness, loss of interest, mood swings, and sadness. These are all symptoms associated with depression.

Stress can increase when there is not enough energy to continue with daily tasks or emotionally handle the tasks that are required of them. If your teen is not able to recharge the lack of energy they will experience will make it easier for them to procrastinate on tasks including homework, and housework which may cause them stress due to the disciplinary action or fear of the feedback they may receive.

How can I help my teen create a better sleeping habits and improve their sleep?

• Set a bedtime that will allow your teen to get a minimum of 8 hours of sleep.

• Keeping a consistent sleep schedule will make it an easier habit to keep for your teen.

• Ask your teen to avoid caffeine beverages or sugar after a certain time.

• Create an environment that promotes sleep, turn off lights near your teen’s bedroom, and minimize the noise volume and distractions.

• Enable parental controls on your teen’s devices so that they are not tempted to use the device after a certain time.

• Limit screen time an hour before their bedtime to prepare their body for sleep, instead encourage them to read a book, journal, or color.