Sleep

Lots of young people find getting to sleep, staying asleep or waking up a real problem. Disrupted, broken or insufficient sleep can really impact on people’s mood and ability to cope with daily life.

Sleep is important for growth and development. Teenagers aged 13-18 years should regularly sleep 8-11 hours per 24 hours.

Factors that impact on quality and amount of sleep:

• The sleep environment may be too noisy, messy, too hot or too cold;
• The bed being uncomfortable;
• Not having a regular sleep routine;
• Not getting enough physical activity/ exercise during the day;
• Eating too late in the evening- and finding it hard to get off to sleep because of feeling full/ uncomfortable or having provided your body with a boost of energy (particularly if sugary food has been eaten);
• Going to bed hungry – and waking up too early because of hunger;
• Drinks containing caffeine, such as tea, coffee and energy drinks;
• Illness, pain, or a high temperature;
• Feeling worried or low in mood;
• Overthinking and having a busy brain;
• Medications that affect sleep;
• Drug and alcohol misuse;
• Engaging in stimulating activity such as phone use, screen time, use of games consoles immediately before bed;

What can help young people get good quality and enough sleep:

• Create a calming and peaceful sleeping environment. Rooms that are dark and cool are best for sleep;
• Aim to have a regular bedtime routine and sleep pattern, this includes going to bed and getting up and the same time every day;
• If at all possible, avoid using the bed for studying, reading or listening to music. Ideally, the bed space should only be used for sleeping;
• Avoid napping during the day;
• Avoid drinking caffeinated drinks (tea, coffee, energy drinks) particularly before bedtime;
• Avoid drinking too much before bed and go to the toilet as part of a night time routine;
• Avoid engaging in highly stimulating activities before bedtime such as using a phone, watching TV or playing games on a console;
• Avoid exercising right before bedtime;
• Exercise during the day;
• Get organised for the day ahead so this reduces any worry or thinking about what needs to be done;
• Encourage a young person to talk to someone they trust about anything that’s bothering them that might be keeping them awake;
• There is more information and support from The Sleep Council (see link below)
• There is more information and support from The Sleep Charity (see link below);
• – There is more information and support from The Sleep Foundation (see link below);

The Sleep Council

The Sleep Charity

The Sleep Foundation