Teens Need Sleep
Worth Your Time!
Resource Recommendations to Help You Parent and Mentor Most Effectively
This Week's Recommendation:
"Screen time is contributing to chronic sleep deprivation in tweens and teens –
a pediatric sleep expert explains how critical sleep is to kids’ mental health"
Article by Maida Lunn Chen
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"A growing body of research is finding strong links between sleep, mental health and screen time in teens and tweens... Making sleep a high priority is a cornerstone of overall health and mental health, and it is also key to staying alert and attentive during the school day."
Why It's Worth Your Time
Many experts believe that a large percentage of students' mental health issues could be resolved by getting enough sleep, eating properly, and engaging in physical activity - all areas of life in which parents and adults can play an important and active role. One of the biggest causes of sleep deprivation is screen time, and this article addresses its effects and what adults can do about it.
How To Use It
The beginning of the school year is a great opportunity to establish healthy patterns and routines. If you have a teen or tween in your house, what can you do about their screen time this school year to ensure they get enough sleep - and enough quality sleep?
What other non-screen factors may prevent teens in your life from getting enough sleep? If their schedule is "too busy to sleep," what things (even good things) need to be cut to protect their short-term and long-term mental health, heart health, etc.?
Is there anything you can do to better model good screen habits in the evenings? Teens will generally be more responsive if they know you're doing it with them.
Teens will generally not set phone boundaries themselves - most need adults to help them with it or do it for them. Discuss the boundaries with them and explain the reasons, but if they push back, take the heat - you're doing it for their good. In three months they may see the benefits themselves and maybe they'll even thank you!
Even if you're not a parent, you can engage in discussions with youth about this topic. If they're talking with you about feeling stressed, anxious, or depressed, talk with them about the big three (sleep, nutrition, and physical activity) and explore how those things may be affecting their feelings - and what changes they can make to improve each area. Offer to make changes in your own life with them. Be sure to follow up with them in the weeks and months ahead.
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