Teenagers & Sleep: is your teen getting enough?
Sleep is fundamental for both physical and mental health, yet it can be a common struggle for teenagers and their families - even more so when it comes to changes in routine such as school holidays.
In last night’s Let’s all Talk Mental Health session, we were joined by the brilliant Dr Faith Orchard, Research Psychologist, to talk about all things sleep, including understanding the unique challenges teens can face and how best to support them in developing healthy sleep habits.
“Sleep is important for all ages. It provides the vital foundations to all aspect of our daily functioning.”
Dr Orchard covered why sleep is so important for young people and the impact poor or reduced sleep can have on teenagers, from affecting their ability to concentrate, learn and regulate their emotions to an increased risk of developing further mental health issues such as depression and anxiety.
She went on to discuss reasons why teens might struggle falling asleep (and staying asleep) and shared some tips for parents who want to help encourage their teen to settle into a better sleep routine, such as creating positive sleep associations with a calm sleep environment and sticking to a regular bedtime. Plus one tip that might not be popular in your home:
“Limit the lie-in on the weekend to a maximum of two hours. Ideally no more than that as that’s when it starts interfering with the body clock.”
To watch this week’s session, log in to the hub or register here:
Sign up for just £5 per month and access over 70+ talks with leading experts in teenage mental health, designed to help you help your teen.
We’ll be back next Monday 15th January at 8pm with our resident Clinical Psychologist, Dr Sarah-Jane Knight, to talk about Getting Help for Teen Low Mood and Depression & CBT.
