How to Deal with and Overcome Teen Sleep Problems

Does your teenager begin to look and act like a zombie as a school week progresses? Are your teens' grades dropping? Did you go to the last parent teacher meeting only to hear complaints about the lack of concentration and disciplinary problems your teen is displaying in class?

Dont be alarmed. Sleep problems in teenagers is common. Teenagers need about 9 hours of sleep a night and younger teens aged around 13 or 14 need a slightly greater amount at around ten hours of sleep a night. Sleep is crucial for teenagers because it is while they are sleeping that their bodies release a hormone that is essential during their growth spurt.

During adolescence, the body's circadian rhythm (sort of like an internal biological clock) is reset, telling a teen to fall asleep later at night and wake up later in the morning. This change in the circadian rhythm seems to be due to the fact that melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleeping and waking patterns, is produced later at night in teens than it is for kids and adults, making it harder for teens to fall asleep. This phenomenon has a medical name: delayed sleep phase syndrome. Although it's common, delayed sleep phase syndrome doesn't affect every teen.

Added to this problem, teens usually stay up late on weekends and sleep in when possible. This alters their sleep schedules and they may find it difficult to get up at their normal time when a school week begins. To avoid this change in the body clock during the weekend, it is advised that teens should not go to sleep more than one hour later on the weekend than they usually do during the week. They should not go off schedule for two or more nights in a row and they should wake up no more than two or three hours later than their normal schedule.

The lack of sleep in teenagers can result in behavioral or attention-related problem. As a parent you need to understand that your grumpy adolescent isnt being intentionally problematic by refusing to go to bed or get up on time. Work with your teenager to create a regular and relaxing routine to unwind from the days activities. Ask your teen to cut out caffeine in all forms -- sodas, iced tea and chocolate -- from mid-afternoon on. If your teen is sleepy, a short early afternoon nap -- one in which the alarm clock is set -- will help him get the energy to do homework or pursue an activity.

Transform your teens bedroom into a sleep sanctuary so it becomes an inviting place to rest and dream. Ban any reminders of your teen's busy day, including television, which can over-stimulate your teen with troubling news or intense drama. Keep the room as cool as possible to encourage the body's natural drop in temperature through the night.

When morning rolls around, pull open the curtains and let the sun shine in or turn on the bright lights; it's the most effective way to set sleepy bodies into wake mode. Finally, help your teen understand what's going on with his changing body.

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