How to Get Teens to Establish Good Sleeping Habits

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1Creating a Healthy Sleep Environment

2Helping Your Teen Make Healthy Sleep Decisions

3Influencing Your Teen’s Habits

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Only about eight percent of American teenagers are getting the nine hours of recommended sleep they need every night. Nearly 60 percent of teenagers are severely sleep-deprived, meaning that they sleep six hours or less on school nights. If your teenager is sleep-deprived, you can encourage good sleeping habits that can help them both now and into adulthood. Help them create a relaxing sleep environment for themselves, talk to them about the benefits of sleep, and model and enforce healthy sleep habits.

Steps

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Creating a Healthy Sleep Environment

1. 
   1
   Implement a relaxing bedtime routine. Following a consistent routine every night before bed helps signal the brain that it is time to relax and get ready to sleep. Talk to your teenager about techniques they can use in the evening to calm down and relax every night. Give them some relaxation suggestions if they need some.

   • Suggest to your teen to try reading for pleasure (not a school book), meditation, prayer, or taking a warm bath or shower.
   • Create a calm home environment. Give your teenager plenty of time to eat dinner and get their homework done. Try not to be rushing around in the evenings to other commitments. If you want to have a serious conversation with them, don't do it at bedtime.
2. 
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   Make your teenager’s bedroom a good place to sleep. A good sleeping environment needs to be cool, dark, quiet, safe and comfortable. Get your teen’s input about what you could do to help improve sleeping conditions in their bedroom. You may wish to consider the following:

   • Get blackout curtains to keep natural light out.
   • Buy a white noise machine or fan to block out distracting noises.
   • Invest in a new mattress. Have your teen help you pick out one they find comfortable.
   • Consider keeping all screens (TV, laptop, tablet, or phone) out of your teenager’s bedroom. If this is not possible due to the layout of your home or for other reasons, encourage your teen utilize electronic devices earlier in the evening, and not close to bedtime.
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3. 
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   Limit light exposure at night. Avoid bright overhead lights and use ambient, dimmer lighting instead in the evenings. Light exposure tricks the brain into believing it is daytime and triggering more wakefulness.

   • Have your teen avoid all screen exposure for 2 hours before bed. The blue light frequency of computer and television screens can make you feel more awake.
   • If your teenager is using a computer to work on homework at night, you can find apps that automatically adjust a computer’s light as night falls. This altered light will not generate the same amount of wakefulness in the brain.
4. 
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   Get your teenager out of their bedroom. Even though teens enjoy the personal space and privacy of their own room, bedrooms should be used for sleeping only. If a teen spends a lot of time playing video games in their room, for example, their brain may associate the room with wakefulness and excitement.

   • You could consider enforcing a rule that all screen time needs to be in communal areas of the house. This is also a good strategy for internet safety.
   • Try to get your teenager outside and in the sunlight during the daytime. This can help ensure their circadian rhythm is functioning well and their body will know day from night.
5. 
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   Let them sleep as late as possible in the morning. Help your teen come up with ways to maximize their sleep in the morning hours. Even just a few minutes can be beneficial. Let them try out a few techniques and check in after a few weeks to see if it's helping. Your teen may want to consider:

   • Showering the night before
   • Laying out the next day’s clothes before bed
   • Taking something for breakfast “to go” and eating it on the way to school
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Helping Your Teen Make Healthy Sleep Decisions

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   Be aware of the signs of sleep deprivation. You teenager may need your help in developing better sleep habits if they are experiencing certain symptoms. Sleeping impacts many areas of growth and development, so their sleep deprivation is something you want to address right away. Look for these warning signs:

   • Sleeping in for more than 2 hours on weekends
   • Taking naps lasting longer than 45 minutes
   • Difficulty waking up and/or staying awake
   • Difficulty concentrating
2. 
   2
   Be patient with your teen’s changing sleep needs. When a child enters puberty, their body clock makes a switch and wants to stay up later. This is called the sleep phase delay. However, the amount of sleep the adolescent needs stays the same as it did pre-puberty —around nine hours.

   • Teenagers then become sleep-deprived because they are still forced to get up early for school. Yet, they simply may not be tired earlier, at a time when they should go to bed to get the full nine hours of sleep they need.
3. 
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   Advocate for exercise. Encourage your teen to get some kind of exercise during the day to help them sleep better at night. If they exercise too close to bed, however, they may have trouble falling asleep.

   • Your teenager may feel more wakeful in the morning if they can spend a few minutes exercising. Even walking to school or the bus stop may be beneficial.
   • Exercise may also benefit school performance.
4. 
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   Encourage healthy food choices. Healthy bodies equal healthy sleep. Better nutrition and lifestyle choices will help your teenager sleep better. Encourage whole, nutritious foods. Invite your teen to come grocery shopping and help you prepare meals so they know how to carry on these healthy habits into adulthood.

   • Don’t give them a big meal too close to bedtime. Growing teenagers are hungry all the time, but encourage a light snack in the evening instead of something heavy, which can affect sleep.
   • Your teenager should not be smoking, drinking, or using drugs anyway, but remind your teenager that chemical substances can also make sleep worse.
5. 
   5
   Encourage your teen to skip caffeine in the afternoon and evenings. Caffeine can make it harder to fall asleep and make sleep lighter and less restful. Caution your teen against drinking something in the evening to wake up and focus better on their homework or after-school job.

   • If your teenager is having a hard time concentrating on homework, for example, have them take a quick break or do some exercise as a natural pick-me-up.
   • If they insist on drinking caffeine, discuss appropriate amounts. Teens should have no more than 100 mg per day, which is about the amount in one cup of coffee or two to three sodas. Remind them that they may feel the effects of caffeine for up to six hours after ingesting it, so they should avoid it after lunchtime.
   • Remember chocolate contains caffeine as well, so eating this treat too close to bed, or eating chocolate in addition to drinking a caffeinated beverage, may keep them up at night.
6. 
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   Keep their naps short. It may be best to avoid naps entirely, but if your teenager needs one, tell them to keep it under an hour. Sleeping longer may disrupt nighttime sleeping habits and keep your teen wide awake at bedtime.

   • Tell your teen to try power napping, a short nap technique that can help them feel more alert and energetic.
7. 
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   Maintain good sleep habits on the weekend. Teens will want to sleep in on weekends, but try not to let them sleep in more than two hours past their usual weekday wakeup. It may make it harder for them to fall asleep at a decent hour on Sunday night and feel well-rested on Monday.
8. 
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   Seek medical advice. If your teenager’s sleep habits do not appear to improve through the implementation of sleep-friendly strategies or healthy lifestyle changes, you may wish to talk to your child’s doctor. Their doctor can perform an exam, ask your teenager about their habits, and recommend any further action.

   • For example, if your teenager is tired beyond what you would consider normal, their doctor may wish to examine them for signs of insomnia or sleep apnea
   • Signs of sleep deprivation also overlap with some signs of attention-deficit disorder (ADD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). A doctor can rule out these conditions.
   • Your teenager could also discuss any other psychological concerns they may have with the doctor that may prevent them from sleeping. For example, they may be suffering from anxiety or depression, which can impact sleep. Their doctor could refer them to a mental health professional.
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Influencing Your Teen’s Habits

1. 
   1
   Talk about the benefits of good sleeping habits. Sleep has many benefits beyond rest and rejuvenation. Give your teen specific, concrete examples that they can relate to about how a good night’s sleep can benefit their everyday lives.

   • Some examples you may wish to share include better grades and behavior in school, driving alertness, increased risk of obesity, and increased stress.
   • You could say, “Now that you have your driver’s license, it’s very important to me that you get as much sleep as you can. Tired drivers have slower reaction time than well-rested ones, and just a moment’s hesitation could get you into an accident.”
2. 
   2
   Help them simplify their schedule. Teenagers can be extremely busy, often in class from early in the morning to the middle of the afternoon. Then they may have extracurriculars, a part-time job, and/or a few hours of homework on top of it all. They may not be able to get to sleep until late at night. If this sounds like your teenager, help them reduce their commitment level to help them have more downtime and more sleep each night.

   • Ask your teenager which activities they value the most. You could say, “I’m beginning to get concerned that you have too much on your plate. I’d like to talk to you about reducing your after-school activities. Are there any you’d feel comfortable giving up?”
   • If your teenager wants to keep all of their activities, you could help them find ways to help better manage their time. For example, see if they could squeeze in some homework while they are waiting for their after-school practice, or see if they can get off work an hour earlier in the evenings.
   • Another possibility is cutting back on your teen's activities and seeing how they manage their extracurriculars and school. If they show that they can responsibly balance their activities with doing well in school, then you can try introducing another activity back into their life.
3. 
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   Set limits. If you are the parent or guardian of the teenager, you can and need to set limits if you think your teenager is not able to manage their sleep schedule on their own. Teenagers do better when parents are helping them to manage their time.

   • Decide on rules that you will be enforcing and talk to your teen about them. For example, you could say, “I will be making sure you are in bed with the lights out by 10:30 every night during the week. You will need to find a way to have all of your homework completed by that time. You will also not be allowed to have any electronic devices in your room during weeknights.”
   • Let your teenager know the consequences if they don’t follow the rules. For example, you may decide to take away their electronic devices for a few days.
4. 
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   Set a good example. Model good sleeping habits as an adult. Children and teenagers learn by watching the adult role models in their lives.

   • Keep your bedroom a screen-free zone. Don’t allow TVs or laptops in your bedroom.
   • Keep a consistent bedtime during the week.
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Expert Q&A

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• Question

  How do you establish healthy sleep habits?

  

  Alex Dimitriu, MD
  Sleep Medicine & Psychiatry Professional

  Alex Dimitriu, MD is the Owner of Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine, a clinic based in the San Francisco Bay Area with expertise in psychiatry, sleep, and transformational therapy. Alex earned his Doctor of Medicine from Stony Brook University in 2005 and graduated from the Stanford University School of Medicine's Sleep Medicine Residency Program in 2010. Professionally, Alex has dual board certification in psychiatry and sleep medicine.

  

  Alex Dimitriu, MD

  Sleep Medicine & Psychiatry Professional

  Expert Answer

  It's important to have a regular bed and wake time, even on the weekends. Do some moderate to intense exercise during the day, and avoid bright lights and screens 2 hours before bed.

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Tips

• Encourage your teen to wake up and go to bed at the same time every day. Having a consistent sleep schedule will improve their quality of sleep.
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