Your teen needs more sleep. That’s the conclusion of researchers who have found that most teens suffer from severe sleep deprivation during the school year.
Why are teens losing so much sleep? One reason is that they have a lot of obligations. These may include school, work, sports, clubs and other activities. They may be so busy that they don’t have enough time to sleep.
Teens also have a lot of distractions. It is easy for them to spend too much time in front of the TV, on the computer or on the phone.
The result is that most teens go to bed too late. How early your teen should go to bed depends on how early he or she has to get up in the morning. An early school start time will make it a challenge for your teen to get enough sleep.
Teens need a little more than nine hours of nightly sleep to feel alert and well rested during the day. If your teen needs to get up at 6:30 a.m., then he or she would have to go to bed no later than 9:15 p.m. This table shows how your teen’s bed time would be affected by three different wake times:
Sleep
Need |
Wake
Time |
Bed
Time |
Wake
Time |
Bed
Time |
Wake
Time |
Bed
Time |
| About 9 hours |
5:30 a.m. |
8:15 p.m. |
6:30 a.m. |
9:15 p.m. |
7:30 a.m. |
10:15 p.m. |
Your teen may laugh at the idea of going to bed before 10 or 11 p.m. Many teens prefer to stay up later at night. This tendency is more than just a matter of preference. It’s also related to a biological change that occurs during the teen years.
A shift in the timing of their body clock causes them to feel sleepy later at night. This explains why it can be hard for them to fall asleep before 11 p.m. It’s also one reason why they may stay up until 1 or 2 a.m. when they have more freedom on weekends.
There are many obstacles that can make it hard for your teen to get enough sleep on school nights. But there are some practical ways you can help. Read Teen Bed Times: Parent Tips for some advice.
More Information
Teen Bed Times: Parent Tips
Signs Your Teen Needs Sleep
Teens & Sleep Loss
Sleep Tips for Students
Teens & School Start Times
Cleveland Adolescent Sleepiness Questionnaire
Reviewed by David Kuhlmann, MD
Updated November 13, 2007
