Lack of sleep hurting teens’ mental health

As long as there have been teenagers and warm summer days, there have been cycles of late nights and early mornings that can be hard to break. Whether it’s staying out late with friends and then up early in the morning for school or a summer job…the problem remains the same. 

Young people are not getting enough sleep. 

Lack of sleep is a common contributing factor to poor mental health for youth, such as anxiety and depression. As more and more young people come to SOS for support with those issues, the lack of sleep continues to come up as a concern. 

Research shows that up to 70 percent of teenagers are not getting enough sleep. In fact, Stats Can reports indicate that 29 percent of youth between the ages of 15 and 17 who experience sleeping difficulties at least once a week rated their mental health as fair or poor.

How much “shut-eye” is enough?

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, any child over the age of 12 should be getting between nine and nine and a half hours of sleep every night. 

Fewer z’s than that will not only impact their mental health, but it can also show up as physical or behavioural symptoms. 

It’s also not good enough to short change sleep during the week and make it up on the weekend. While that may be a solution in the short-term, it is not a smart long-term strategy. Inconsistent sleep results in the same symptoms. 

In fact, studies have shown that unhealthy sleeping patterns have made youth tend to feel more anxious, have higher amounts of stress, and may experience depression.

The best bet is to set a regular bedtime and stick to it seven days a week. Yes, that might mean you get up before 10 am on Saturday morning. 

Sleep supports physical and mental development

Teenagers’ bodies undergo a significant amount of change between 13 and 17 years.

Dr. Michael Crocetti with John Hopkins explains, as they go through this second developmental stage of cognitive maturation, extra sleep is needed to help develop the brain and deal physically with growth spurts.

On top of this, the teenage years come with more responsibility.

As they move from childhood to adulthood, parents and guardians start to offer more independence. It means more activities requiring their full attention and in general, more responsibility. Whether it’s achieving a certain level of academic performance or learning to drive, teenagers need to be awake and alert.

A lack of sleep for something like driving can have devastating impacts.

Encouraging good sleeping habits

Getting a teenager into their bedroom so they can get a solid nine hours every night is a task in itself; finding ways to ensure they are spending that time sleeping is another monumental endeavour.

Almost every teenager has an electronic device, if not two or three of them. These devices often find their way into bed with teenagers as they scroll through social.  Unfortunately, the blue light emitted from these screens can trick their brains into thinking it is not bedtime and make it hard to sleep.

Stimulation from caffeine consumed in the afternoon or evening or sugary snacks before hitting the sack can also affect good shut-eye—limiting these treats and being more aware of when they are being consumed is imperative in improving this practice.

Work together with your family to establish a routine that facilitates good sleep for everyone. From a regular bedtime, to winding down activities and turning off electronics an hour before bed, sleep can improve for the whole family. 

The warning signs

Communicating with teenagers can be difficult, and in a lot of cases, they are not going to tell you if they are not getting the sleep they need. And frankly, they might not realize how much it is affecting them.

If you are a parent, there are several things you should be on the lookout for which:

·   Falling asleep at school

·   Difficulty waking up in the morning

·   Choosing to lay down instead of attending activities with friends and family

·   Increased forgetfulness

·   Increased moodiness and irritability

·   Increased stress throughout the day

If your young person checks any of these boxes, it might be time to look deeper into their sleep habits and make some changes. If your teenager is feeling depressed and anxious, whether it’s sleep related or not, reach out to SOS. Our counsellors are trained to work with children and youth and provide them the care they need to find a solid footing .