Nipping Insomnia and Nightmares in the Bud: Improving Teen Sleep

Is your teenaged son or daughter having difficulty sleeping or staying sleep? Are they afraid to sleep because of nightmares? If your adolescent is bothered by any of these sleep disturbances you may not wish to take these matters lightly. Sleep is extremely important to children, adolescents and teens. You may benefit from seeking professional help as changed sleep patterns or sleep troubles, such as insomnia and nightmares, may also indicate emotional or psychological distress.

What’s Causing Sleep Deprivation

A teenager is generally supposed to get between 9 and 9 ½ hours of sleep, yet many of them get less than that. A study undertaken by the National Sleep Foundation found that approximately 85 percent of teens don’t get enough sleep, particularly during the week. You may find yourself wondering if this is a natural “teen thing” due to the biological and hormonal shifts that can occur during adolescence, perhaps even a result of their school and/or social obligations.

While all of these factors may be real possibilities for the majority of teenagers, it may not be helpful to assume that these are the reasons why your child is not getting enough sleep. There is always that possibility that their sleep deprivation is being unnaturally caused by insomnia or nightmares. Aside from the risk to physical health and development, inadequate sleep may also place their emotional health at risk. It is possible that the cause of their sleep disturbance is related to depression, stress, or anxiety.

Effects of Sleep Deprivation

When teens suffer from sleep deprivation, their physical health can suffer as well. This may weaken their stamina and cause them to be more prone to various ailments. They may experience the dreaded pimple or acne outbreaks that can impact their self-esteem. Their mood may also change, becoming more irritable, resentful, hard to please and/or unhappy.

A sleep-deprived person is also more apt to have reduced abilities to listen, understand, focus and experience difficulty with memory. All of these reduced faculties can impact learning and cause solving problems to become more challenging. Their performance in school may take a dip, they may even encounter more problems academically and socially.

Improving Sleep with Help

All of these consequences of sleep deprivation can make life extra challenging. If the root cause of insomnia or nightmare is due to depression, stress or anxiety, there can be even more far-reaching effects. Your child may even fail to stay healthy, academically adjust or feel emotionally sound at this stage in their life.

There are many factors that may be causing your adolescent’s sleep disturbance. Due to these various factors it may be beneficial to have them assessed by a counselor who can identify their own unique symptoms and needs. These beneficial services can be found at Carolina Counseling Services – Fuquay-Varina, NC. Licensed, independently contracted therapists can work with you and your teen to find the most beneficial treatment interventions to help them to get the sleep that they need. If sleep deprivation is due to insomnia or nightmares, which can indicate something more serious, sleep may not be restored without first treating the underlying cause. Take the first step; call CCS now.

We can Help! Call NOW!

Related Articles: