Adolescent’s Sleeping Habit

How many hours of sleep does the

average teenager need?

9 – 9 ½ hours of sleep

Teenagers do not get enough sleep for a number of reasons:

1. Shift in sleeping schedule:

 After puberty, there is a biological shift in an adolescent’s internal clock of about 2 hours.

2. Early high school start times. In most school districts, the move to high school is accompanied by an earlier school start time. 

3. Social and school obligations. Homework, sports, after-school activities (often occurring during the evening), and socializing lead to late bedtimes.

Sleep deprivation will impact on many aspects of your

teenager’s functioning:

1. Mood

Sleep deprivation will cause your teenager to be moody, irritable, and cranky.

2. Behavior They are more likely to engage in risk-taking behaviors, such as drinking, driving fast, and engaging in other dangerous activities.

3. Cognitive Ability Inadequate sleep will result in problems with attention, memory, decision making, reaction time, and creativity, all of which are important in school.

4. Academic Performance  Teenagers who get less sleep are more apt to get poor grades in school, fall asleep in school, and have school tardiness/absences.

5. Drowsy Driving Teenagers are at the highest risk for falling asleep at the wheel. Drowsy driving is the most likely to occur in the middle of the night (2:00 to 4:00 AM), but also in mid-afternoon (3:00 to 4:00 PM).

How to help your teenager get enough

sleep?

Adolescent and Nutrition

Eat 3 meals a day , with a healthy snack.Increase fiber in the diet and decrease

the use of salt.Drink water. Try to avoid drinks that are

high in sugar. Fruit juice can have a lot of calories, so limit your adolescent's intake. Whole fruit is always a better choice. 

Eat balanced meals.When cooking for your adolescent, try to

bake or broil instead of fry.

Make sure your adolescent watches (and decreases, if necessary) his or her sugar intake.

Eat fruit or vegetables for a snack.Decrease the use of butter and

heavy gravies.Eat more chicken and fish. Limit red

meat intake, and choose lean cuts when possible.