Tips for Sleepy Teens

Do you have a teen that stays up all night and has difficulties getting up for school? Who doesn’t right? A recent study by the National Sleep Foundation found that only 20 percent of teens actually got the recommended amount of sleep per night. The recommended amount they were studying was nine hours per night and with our teens that stay up after midnight, it is no wonder they are having difficulties in the mornings.

More than a quarter of the teens surveyed confessed to falling asleep in class and more than half reported driving while drowsy. Lack of sleep also affected the academic performance of the teens studied. Those who did not get enough sleep were more likely to get poorer grades when compared to those peers who got the optimal amount of sleep.

Now is the time to train your teen to avoid the problems they will face in college when you are not around. These tips will help your college-bound teens get the adequate amount of sleep:

• Become a morning person – seems odd, but the best way to retrain your body to a better sleep is to schedule yourself and be more alert earlier in the day. Starting at least three weeks before the school year begins, begin waking yourself up progressively earlier several days in a row. To further wake yourself up, go out in the sunlight. The sunlight helps your internal body clock reset itself to your new schedule.

• Be consistent – this is very important when retraining your body. As tempting as it may be to sleep in on weekends, try to keep a regular schedule as much as possible. Sleep researchers suggest a bedtime of 11pm and midnight, but if you find yourself getting up later once college begins, try and keep to that schedule.

• Schedule Classes Carefully – If you are one that likes to stay up late, do not schedule classes at 8 am. You now have the opportunity to schedule classes unlike high school where you had to take classes that were assigned.

• Compensate – if you are absolutely not a morning person, but you still get stuck with an 8am statistics class, try to schedule your study time in the afternoons. Try not to put in all nighters of studying, because you will surely pay the price in the morning.

Dr. Daisy (aka Dr. Mommy) is a Doctor of Chiropractic by profession, wife to a loving and supporting husband and home school mom to 5 beautiful children. She is a speaker, blogger and freelance writer that devotes her time to educate the public on the importance of nutrition and their health.

For more insight on her love of health and nutrition you can visit her Healthy Nutrition Hints Blog. http://healthynutritionhints.com

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