Too tired for school
#askvicki , #school, #tired
If you think about it, when you were younger, you were the one who bounded into your parent’s bedroom at the crack of dawn to wake them up right? But not anymore… It’s far more likely that your parent’s are the ones dragging you out of bed in the morning. So when did this change occur, why is it so difficult to get out of bed and what can you do to stop it?
Sleep is dictated by two things; light and hormones. So you can be excused for not wanting to get out of bed in the winter months when the darker mornings are with us and before the clocks go back. But what about at night?
When light starts to disappear in the evening, the body produces a chemical called Melatonin, which is a gentle reminder for us to get ready to sleep. But with so much artificial light from TV’s, computers, lap tops and mobile phones all around us there is enough light to stop the production of this important chemical, keeping you awake until the early hours of the morning.
Add to that the changes most teenagers notice during puberty with fluctuating hormones that interfere with a teenager’s internal clock (yes we all have one) and delaying the time you start to feel sleepy and want to awake, it’s no wonder you feel tired during the day.
Most teenagers need between 9-10 hours’ sleep each night and sleep deprivation can make concentrating harder, increase mood swings and there is believed to be a link to obesity in teenagers too.
When you were a child, you most likely had a set bedtime and even as a teen you may have a curfew. However, it is more likely now you are older that the responsibility of switching off the lights and going to sleep once in your room is your responsibility. So check out my tips for a good night’s sleep.
- If you feel tired when you get home from school, have a quick nap to recharge your batteries but make sure it is for no longer than 30 minutes.
- Switch off ALL electronic gadgets at least an hour before you plan to go to bed.
- Reduce the amount of caffeine in your diet and remember this chemical is in fizzy drinks and chocolate too!
- Make sure the temperature in your room is right; not too warm and not too cold.
- Wind down; get a bedtime routine and stick to it. For example, an hour before sleeping, have a warm bath, followed by brushing your teeth, read a book or listen to some gentle music. Your brain will quickly understand these as signals that it is time to sleep.
- Get all of your school things ready before you go to bed so you are not worrying about homework, what to wear or getting your PE kit packed away.
- Stick to a schedule – even at the weekends, as tempting as it may be to have a lie in on a non-school day, you’ll feel much better if you don’t and this will avoid further disruption to your internal body clock.