Do you feel like it’s a daily battle to get your teens out of bed and ready for school on time? If so, in this article, you’re going learn how to overcome this struggle once and for all. If your teens have trouble waking up in the morning, they’re probably going to bed too late. So let’s first talk about why teens find it hard
Why teens find it hard to go to bed early:
There’s a biological reason for this. During puberty, there’s a shift in your teenager’s circadian rhythm. This is the process that regulates your teenager’s sleep and wake cycles. As sleep expert, Dr. Laura Sterni explains, this shift in circadian rhythm makes it more difficult for teens to fall asleep before 11:00 PM. This doesn’t mean that teens can’t go to bed early.
It just means that it will take more effort and planning. Sleep experts also generally agree that teens need 9 to 10 hours of sleep a night to be well rested. I’ve been working with teens around the world for over a decade, so I can say for a fact that it’s a tiny percentage of teens who get 9 to 10 hours of sleep a night on average. This means that most teens have a lot of sleep debt.
The way sleep debt works is that if your teens need nine hours of sleep, but only get six hours, then they would accumulate three hours of sleep debt. If this happens for five days in a row, your teens will accumulate 15 hours of sleep debt. This is because five days multiplied by three hours of sleep debt, each day equals 15 hours of sleep debt in total.
According to the medical experts at SleepFoundation.org, sleep, debt is linked to reduced immune function, metabolic dysregulation, weight gain, and poorer memory and brain function, among other negative effects. I’m not saying this to scare you.
I just want to highlight how essential it is for your teens to get enough sleep. This is related to how hard it is for your teens to get up each morning.
Before we dive into the practical tips, let me quickly mention a few other potential reasons why it’s hard for your teens to get up in the morning. Drug abuse, alcohol abuse, anxiety, and depression can greatly affect sleep patterns.so if you think any of those might be contributing factors, then you need to address those issues first.
Tip 1:
Here’s tip number one. Make it clear that getting up on time is your teens’ responsibility.
This isn’t just about getting your teens to set their own alarm, even though that is something they should be doing. It’s about making sure your teens understand that getting up on time is their responsibility, not yours. many parents indirectly assume responsibility for this. How? By waking their teens up every morning, dragging their teens out of bed, or yelling at their teens to get up and get ready.
When parents do these things, they become responsible for their teens getting up on time. The teens don’t need to set their alarm or make a plan to get up on time, because they know the parents will ensure that they get up. So have a calm conversation with your teens to make it clear that you’re no longer going to be responsible for them to get up on time.
Tip 2:
Tip number two, let your teens experience the natural consequences of waking up late. As a follow-up to the previous tip, I encourage you to explain to your teens that they’ll need to deal with the consequences if they wake up late.
For example, if they wake up late, you won’t drive them to school, so they’ll need to take the bus or train. If that means that your teens will miss a test or have to serve detention, then those are the natural consequences they’ll have to deal with. Don’t make snide or mean-spirited comments when they get up late.
And resist the urge to say something like,
“See, I told you this was going to happen.”
Instead, just let the natural consequences play out. Don’t say a word if you don’t have to. After all, “Natural consequences are a better teacher than all forms of lectures and reminders.”
Tip 3:
Tip number three, have a problem-solving discussion with your teens. If tip number one and two don’t do the trick, then it’s time to work with your teens to come up with a plan.
Get to the root of the issue, and understand your teens’ perspective on the situation. Then do some brainstorming and find possible solutions.
You might discuss things related to their morning routine, bedtime routine, bedtime on school nights and non-school nights, et cetera. Write down the plan and the agreed-upon consequences, if any. Make sure that both you and your teens find the plan acceptable. Stick to the plan, and be sure to review it periodically, making adjustments if necessary.
Tip 4:
Tip number four, create a family, “No electronics after 10 pm” rule of course, it might not be exactly 10 pm for your family. It could be 9:30 pm or 10:30 pm, or some other time that works, based on your family’s schedule.
You might decide that this rule only applies on school nights. But having this kind of rule will help everyone to wind down and get ready for bed. It might not always be possible for everyone in the family to follow the rules.
For example, you might work the night shift, so you can’t just turn off your phone at 10 pm. But if it’s a family rule that everyone keeps to, it will be easier to implement. If not, your teens will think it’s unfair and hypocritical of you that they can’t have screen time after 10 pm, but you can.
When parenting teens, it’s always a good idea to shift the dynamic from “You versus your teen” to “Us as a family.” You could get everyone in the family to charge their devices in a common area, like the living room from 10 pm onwards. Now, here comes the objection that your teens will have.
“I need to sleep next to my phone because my phone is my alarm clock.”
The solution to this is simple. Get them a real alarm clock. Get them two alarm clocks if they think they won’t be able to wake up with just one alarm.
Tip 5:
Tip number five, dim all the lights in the house after 8:00 P.M. (transition whooshing) The American Academy of Sleep Medicine reports that being exposed to light at night can suppress melatonin levels and ruin your sleep.
Melatonin is a hormone that’s needed to regulate the sleep-wake cycle. If your teens are exposed to light at night, their melatonin levels will be lower, and they won’t feel tired when it’s time to go to bed. Of course, it’s almost impossible to avoid all exposure to light at night.
So the best you can do is to dim the lights in the house after 8:00 pm or so. also, the color of the light matters. Research indicates that light that’s warmer in color is better at allowing you to wind down at night. Warm colors are those that look more orange or yellow. In contrast, light that’s cooler in color can prevent you from winding down at night. Cool colors are those that look more blue. So try to only turn on the warm lights in your house after sunset.
Tip 6:
Tip number six, encourage your teens to exercise and spend time outdoors. The Cleveland Clinic describes how physical activity and exposure to sunlight have a positive effect on sleep.
The Cleveland Clinic even discusses the research that shows that physical activity can be as effective as prescription sleep medication in improving sleep. even if it’s just going for a 10 or 15-minute walk in the sun every day, it could help your teens to get on a better sleep schedule.
I know it’s hard to force your teens to exercise and go outdoors. But this could be part of the problem-solving discussion that we talked about under tip number three.
On weekends and holidays, consider planning outdoor family activities. You could go for a hike, spend time at the beach, or have a picnic at the park. These activities promote better sleep and also help you to make memories as a family. These six tips will enable your teens to wake up on time for school every day.