Sunday, August 9, 2009

Not Ready to Wake Up

Did you ever wonder why your teenage kids stays in bed late? According to the recent study, teenagers do not naturally wake up as early in the morning as younger kids or adults. The study found that teens' levels of melatonin - the hormone that promotes sleep - rise later at night and remain elevated later in the morning. This means that at 7:30AM, when American high school start class, most teenagers' brains are technically still asleep.
On average , teens need at least 9 hours of sleep each night to be awake and ready to learn.
Here are some tips to help your teens get more Zzzzzs:

* When school starts, make it a rule: No caffeine after school.

* Avoid over-stimulation from TVs, computers, iPods, and cell phones too close to
bedtime.

* Keep the bedroom dark at night and bright in the morning.

* Consider limiting after school activities to allow for more downtime.

* Suggest your teen to take a one hour nap after school.

* Don't let your teen sleep in too late on weekends to avoid throwing him/her off
schedule.

2 comments:

Frugal Vicki said...

I'm enjoying all of your advice! I'm following so I can keep up with what to expect from my kids!

MaricrisG said...

You know what, I can use some of these tips myself. I'm a night owl and sleeping @ night is always a struggle. What am I to do? :)

 

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