By Dr Jayashree K
March 27: Sleep is the key for maintaining good health and wellbeing in an Individual. Adequate quantity and quality of sleep is vital in teens for retaining good memory, immunological functions and classroom attentiveness. On average, teens need 8 to 9 hours of sleep, but studies have shown that teens sleep < 7hours on weekdays and sleep for >9hours on weekends. Sleep biology is different in teens, due to puberty there is an internal shift (alteration in circadian rhythm) in the onset of sleep which results in delayed bedtime and wakeup time.
There are several external and internal factors affecting sleep listed in the following table 1.
Lack of sleep affects all the spheres of teen’s life. The following are the consequences of sleep deprivation:
- Mood and Behavior: Teen becomes cranky and irritable along with change in behavior which can manifest as anxiety, anger, aggression, violence and impulsive behavior.
- Day time sleepiness, classroom inattentiveness, difficulty in learning any new skill
- Negative effect on cognition, memory, thinking skill
- obesity and diabetes mellitus
- Hormones required for bodily growth and repair are secreted during sleep which gets hampered due to lack of sleep leads to disruption of immune regulation and overall physical health.
Sleep screening tools are available to objectively identify sleep related problems.
What are the Tips for Better Sleep?
- Wake up and bedtime should be at the same time daily even on non-school days
- Do not oversleep on weekends
- Regular exercise, eat regular meals, not to go to bed hungry
- No screentime one hour prior to bedtime
- Use the bed for only sleeping, have a ambient temperature
- Involve in relaxing, enjoyable activity prior to bedtime
- Avoid eating chocolates, consuming coffee, no alcohol, drugs, do not smoke
- Do not use sleeping pills or over the counter medicines
Sleep disorders in teens require detailed evaluation and therapy needs to be tailored accordingly.
(Dr Jayashree K, Pediatrician and Adolescent Physician Associate Professor, Dept. of Pediatrics, KMC Hospital, Mangaluru)