Sleep disorders in adolescents can be another reason for declining school performance.
Many factors lead to sleep disorders in adolescents, which does not precisely simplify the puberty phase – for everyone involved. Help your offspring prevent such sleep disorders from getting better through this phase of life.
Why Sleep Disorders Are Critical In Adolescents
Sleep disorders in adolescents are just as harmful as they are in adults. The quality of the night’s sleep is essential to good physical and mental health.
However, young people are increasingly suffering from more problems in this area. Therefore, this article provides some tips to prevent insomnia in adolescents.
In general, teenagers should sleep at least 8 hours for health and wellbeing. Therefore, we need to know the various causes and factors that can lead to insomnia in adolescents. Only then can the problem be solved.
Keep the following advice in mind to help prevent insomnia in adolescents. As a parent, you can contribute actively and passively. Find out how!
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Prevent And Combat Obesity
Overweight children and adolescents are an increasingly common problem due to an unhealthy lifestyle in today’s consumer society.
One study found a relationship between adolescents with more incredible difficulty falling asleep and increased body mass index. This confirms the increasingly severe problem of obesity in children and adolescents.
At the same time, the same thing happens in reverse. This means that sleep disorders in adolescents influence their eating habits because lack of sleep encourages the consumption of unhealthy foods, exceptionally high in sugar and fat. This, if left untreated, contributes to the worsening of obesity.
With this in mind, a balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables, legumes, whole grains, lean meat, fish, and eggs is essential. At the very least, home meals should be based on these food groups. And that is precisely your responsibility!
However, physical activity is also essential in maintaining weight. Young people should engage in sporting activities. The motivation to do this is also your job as a parent.
Regulate Cell Phone And Television Consumption
Another reason why insomnia has increased in adolescents is because of new technologies. Teenagers spending on cell phones, computers, television, or video games is difficult to control.
These devices expose adolescents to overstimulation. This directly affects the nervous system and changes the body’s natural biorhythm, which affects sleep.
However, this is a factor that affects teenagers and parents. This is a measure that must be dealt with by the whole family. There should be a shared responsibility to manage the use of these devices and to avoid them two hours before bedtime.
Avoid Tobacco Use
There may also be a link between nicotine consumption and poor sleep quality in young people. For the same reason, it can be helpful for adults to quit smoking to sleep better.
Parents’ Working Hours
Finally, another factor emerges in the studies of insomnia in adolescents: the parents’ work schedule, for example, if one works the night shift.
Hence, keeping your home sleep schedule calm and quiet is essential. If the teenager already has trouble falling asleep, anyone can wake him up quickly. If you or your partner come home late in the evening, make sure that no one can be woken up by your return home, even in a light sleep.
General Advice Against Insomnia In Adolescents
These tips and behavioral advice not only help against sleep disorders in adolescents but also in adults because they are general:
- Go to bed at the same time every night.
- Eat a balanced diet and eat in the evening, possibly stimulating foods.
- Avoid the abuse of promoting drinks (coffee, tea, cola, energy drinks).
- Fight obesity.
- Avoid a sedentary lifestyle and exercise several times a week.
- Avoid tobacco and alcohol.
- Control cell phone usage and technology in general, especially in the hours before bed.
- Try to have a stable schedule at home and avoid nighttime activities, disrupting the rest of the family.
- The bedroom should be quiet, without light, and a reasonable temperature.
In some cases, sleep disorders can also be related to an oversupply of tasks or social or professional activities. As a parent, you are responsible for implementing these principles of behavior in yourself as a good example. You will see: not only will your offspring be able to sleep better this way, you too!