By T. BERRY BRAZELTON, M.D., and JOSHUA SPARROW, M.D. from The New York Times Syndicate’s FAMILIES TODAY column
Question: I’m concerned about my 14-year-old son’s sleep habits. He has always stayed up late (1 a.m. is comfortable for him). Getting him to bed earlier is a challenge. Even if I succeed, he can’t fall asleep for a long time.
During middle school he had trouble being on time, and I know that his lack of sleep affected his academic performance. High school begins early, at 7:30, and I’m worried.
I’ve heard that melatonin might be helpful.
Answer: Late hours and trouble waking up in time for school are common issues among adolescents. During this period of rapid growth, with changes in hormones and other factors, teenagers’ sleep cycles shift.
Some high schools have adjusted their schedules, starting and ending later to accommodate adolescent sleep-wake rhythms. One school district even found that the change in hours correlated with a decrease in teenage car accidents.
Studies have shown that inadequate sleep interferes with attention, memory and learning. We have begun to think that lightening the homework load might improve academic performance — if teenagers would use the extra time to sleep.
Poor sleep has been linked to the emergence of epidemic levels of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and obesity. A sleep deficit may harm neuropeptides or hormones (leptin and ghrelin) that regulate appetite and metabolism, affecting eating habits.
Melatonin is a hormone produced in the brain by the pineal gland. Melatonin has been used to help ease jet lag among adults, but we aren’t aware of research on using it to reset adolescent sleep cycles.
Consult your son’s pediatrician to be sure there are no other causes for his difficulty in falling asleep. Also, take this issue off the battlefield. Even when you succeed with an earlier bedtime, he needs a long while to fall asleep. This problem seems beyond his control.
You are both on the same side, and it might help to let him know that. If you do, he may be more ready to work with you on “sleep hygiene.”
For example, during the hour before bed, he could cut out stimulating activities and substitute relaxing ones — like reading. He could also regard bed as sleep central, not a staging area for other activities, so that getting into bed sends the signal that it is time for shut-eye.
Questions or comments should be addressed to Dr. T. Berry Brazelton and Dr. Joshua Sparrow, care of The New York Times Syndicate, 620 Eighth Ave., 5th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10018. Questions may also be sent by e-mail to: nytsyn-families(at)nytimes.com. The (at) represents the symbol on your keyboard. Questions of general interest will be answered in this column, which may be posted on a Families Today Web site or collected in book form. Drs. Brazelton and Sparrow regret that unpublished letters cannot be answered individually.
Responses to questions are not intended to constitute or to take the place of medical or psychiatric evaluation, diagnosis or treatment. If you have a question about your child’s health or well-being, consult your child’s health-care provider.
(Dr. Brazelton heads the Brazelton Touchpoints Project, which promotes and supports community initiatives that are collaborative, strength-based, prevention-focused sources of support for families raising children in our increasingly stressful world. Dr. Sparrow, a child psychiatrist, is director of Special Initiatives at the Brazelton Touchpoints Center. Learn more about the Center at www.touchpoints.org.)
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Thanks for the post, good information. Keep posting!
I have gone through the same process before and it really boils down to not having a choice. School starts too early and the moment it ends you have a bulk of projects to do.
.-= Tina@Sleep Sound Machine´s last blog ..Ecotones Duet Sleep Sound Machine =-.