Teenage Insomnia Can Create Problems Later On
Teens take a lot of heat for being inherently and chronically moody. They typically scoff at authority and often act like they’ve gotten up on the wrong side of the bed. (Sorry, I say this with much respect for teens, so if I offend any haphazard teen out there reading this, my apologies; virtually everyone goes through this phase, so it’s a relatively fair comment to make, generally speaking of course).
But here’s the kicker: which of the following do you attribute this behavior to?
a) Social pressures
b) Hormones
c) A developing brain and psychological profile
d) All of the above
If you answered D, you’re right—partially. Now, we can say there’s one more ingredient at play here: insomnia.
That’s right. Last week, the National Sleep Foundation released news of a new study that indicates that prevalence of insomnia among adolescents is (surprisingly) high—and is associated with future physical and psychological problems.
Ouch. That’s not something any parent wants to hear. Getting through adolescence is tough enough. No one wants Johnny or Suzie to suffer any longer than necessary. The researchers who conducted the year-long study, which looked at more than 3,000 kids between 11 and 17 years old, concluded that insomnia is a major chronic disease affecting a substantial proportion of the adolescent population. What’s more, most people don’t realize (or appreciate) the fact that its pervasiveness is comparable to that of other major psychiatric disorders such as mood, anxiety, disruptive, and substance use disorders. Yikes, but true.
A study like this is a call to action. Because adults often have their own issues with sleep to worry about, insomnia notwithstanding, they can easily forget that their teens could be experiencing the same problem. But a teen’s bout with insomnia may have more serious consequences in the long term as they continue to mature and grow. The brain, for example, does not finish its complete development until one’s early to mid twenties (which explains, by the way, why we see young adults exhibit mental illness like bipolar disorder and serious psychological episodes at this age; Britney Spears, anyone?) So if a person has insomnia for years through those critical phases of one’s physical and psychological development, what does that mean for one’s future health?
You gotta wonder. Parents take note. Appreciate the fact insomnia has plenty of simple, practical remedies available if you just take action. This can be any number of things, from helping a teen prioritize sleep and maintain good sleep hygiene (a topic covered at length in my book Beauty Sleep), to seeking help from a qualified physician. And what can help your teen can also help you, too.
And listen up: teens need way more sleep than adults. While they like to think they can get away with staying up super-late at night and still make it to class (half awake) in the morning, truth is they really need at least 9 solid hours. Is your teen getting that? How often does he or she get up on the wrong side of the bed?
Something to think about.
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I read an excellent book that cured my insomnia. Sound Sleep, Sound Mind by Dr. Barry Krakow was the answer.
Posted by: Jason | March 21, 2008 at 04:32 AM