AAP cites a number of studies which found that school grades were a reliable indicator of the hours spent
sleeping. Students whose report cards showed mainly As and Bs were the same youngsters who usually went
to bed earlier on both school nights and weekends. These high achievers averaged about 35 more minutes
of sleep nightly that those who got mostly Ds and Fs. In addition, teenagers who got the most sleep, and who
went to bed at about the same time on school nights and weekends, were more alert all day long. Also, those
who slept less and had erratic bedtimes were not only drowsy during the day; they were also more likely to
be depressed. Finally, several studies have also shown that teenagers who don’t sleep enough have a higher
rate of car crashes.
What Can We Do? –
Patrick Friman, author of Good Night, Sweet Dreams, I Love You: now get into bed and go to sleep!(Boys
Town Press, 2005) tells us that our responsibility for setting and enforcing rules does not end, just
because our kids have hit their teens: “You should set and enforce bedtimes for your children, even
when those children are in middle school or well into high school...Why? The biggest reason is that
middle school-aged and high school-aged children do not often place rest high on their list of
priorities. True, if left to their own devices, they would probably get enough sleep to be able to
function for a week or maybe even two. But most likely they would quickly be using the weekends
to catch up on lost sleep.” Specifically, he suggests setting a strict bedtime and then limiting the
extent to which extracurricular activities, homework, and undone chores interfere with that time.
David Walsh, author of Why do They Act That Way?: a survival guide to the adolescent brain
for you and your teen (Free Press, 2004) suggests removing stimulation at night. “Limiting
caffeinated beverages, TV, video games, and phone after nine or ten can help convince the
adolescent brain that it’s time for bed. ...Quiet reading, quiet music, and other mellow
activities are good ways to make the transition to sleep time. She still may not fall
asleep till eleven, but that’s a lot better than one a.m.”
The truth is, we can do what we can to set a climate for better sleep habits,
but as the AAP suggests, “A key to success is requiring the teenager assume
control over her bedtime and waking...You can even lead her toward a
solution by explaining how to shift the sleep phase back, and you can provide
the tools she needs, such as a clock radio and a loud alarm...However, if the
program is to work, your teenager has to want to change and be prepared to
take responsibility for following a new sleep schedule, including weekend
wake-ups, on her own.” You can lead a horse to water, well, you know the rest.
For a year I led Allison to the water, with few results except comments on
how I was “ruining her life” and “punishing her.” Then after a full year of us
enforcing a bedtime routine, Allison started to go to bed on time without
complaint! I was, I am, beside myself with joy. I asked her, “What made you start
going to bed at 10:00?” Her reply, “Oh, I just got sick of falling asleep in class all
the time.” I’d like to think my efforts made her see the wisdom of a good
night’s sleep.
A word of caution, children who continue to have problems
adjusting their sleep phase may be experiencing other problems
such as depression, school avoidance, or other medical issues which
should be dealt with by your pediatrician.
As Patrick Friman so kindly reminds us, “Children who have clearly
set expectations, consistency in their schedules, and routine
requirements (chores), all established by or flowing from their parents,
have much greater access to happiness than children who are left to
their own devices.” Do not give up! The results, although sometimes long
in coming, are worth it.
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