Babies aren’t the only ones who need ample, restful rest; Adolescents between 13 and 18 years old also need at least nine hours of sleep at night, but different reasons make it difficult, such as the use of technological devices or not having sleep habits adapted to their vital needs. “Your continually developing body at this age involves hormonal, metabolic, and neuropsychological processes, many of which occur during sleep,” he explains. Darío Fernández, doctor and clinical psychologist expert in sleep medicine and author of the book Comprehensive treatment of insomnia in four weeks.
The consequences for young people who do not sleep adequately are diverse. “Metabolism alteration, predisposition to a sedentary lifestyle, headache, gastrointestinal problems, obesity and diabetes, as well as difficulty in learning and memory function,” explains Fernández. The lack of quality sleep in them also affects their behavior. “Fatigue reduces the desire to socialize and causes irritability, demotivation, negativity, lack of initiative and predisposes to depression in adulthood,” adds this specialist in sleep medicine.
New technologies and the teenage dream
Mobile phones are addictive and affect the night’s rest of young people. “Its light inhibits the secretion of melatonin (sleep hormone), which prevents falling asleep; Rest hours are reduced and concern is generated due to the messages and pages consulted,” continues the same psychologist. Fernández mentions other causes why sleep can be altered at this age: “It is usually the time of the beginning of the consumption of so-called soft drugs, such as alcohol, coffee, tobacco or exciting drinks, in addition to the processes “hormonal changes that involve the search for identity and rebellion against norms, such as going to sleep.” This expert points to more causes that lead to inadequate sleep in adolescents, such as:
- Irregular schedules, which are attempted to be compensated with more hours of rest on weekends to make up for the lack accumulated during the rest of the week.
- Long and late naps of more than 30 minutes.
- Underestimating the importance of sleep for health by minors, who experience it as a waste of time.
The peculiarities of youth rest
Adolescents have certain peculiarities when it comes to sleeping, which are determined by their maturation process. “A delayed circadian rhythm in the start time of sleep, which releases melatonin (sleep hormone) later, causes the adolescent’s usual reluctance to go to sleep and get up in the morning,” explains Fernández. The expert also mentions other causes such as having an irregular sleep pattern, which generates poor sleep quality due to the shorter REM (rapid eye movement) phase. That is the moment, as he explains, when rest is most restorative.
Maintaining what specialists call “adequate sleep hygiene” is the basis for adolescents to have a restful night’s rest, which has a positive impact on their health. “Have regular times for going to bed and getting up, creating a quiet environment before going to bed, physical activity that does not take place in the late afternoon, limiting the use of mobile devices and understanding the importance of a night’s rest for health are some of the recommendations,” adds Fernández.
Food also promotes a restful night’s sleep. “There are substances that promote rest, such as tryptophan, which is transformed into melatonin (sleep hormone) and is found in foods such as cherries, bananas, milk, meat, oily fish or nuts,” continues the expert. He also mentions substances that should be avoided: “Foods or drinks with caffeine, chocolate ice cream, sweets. For dinner, it is better not to eat spinach, chard, red meat, sausages, highly aged cheese, legumes or tomatoes.”
Lost hours of sleep are not recovered
Young people do not feel tired because they do not sleep enough hours. “At 15 years old, they do not perceive body fatigue, but it influences them in poorer school performance or in extreme moods, such as a lot of sadness, nervousness or irritability,” explains Ana Pérez, member of the Sleep and Chronobiology Group of the Spanish Association of Pediatrics (AEP). This specialist warns that lost sleep cannot be recovered and fatigue accumulates in the body, with the consequent risk that poor quality and scarce rest becomes chronic and the adolescent ends up being an adult with insomnia problems.
There are certain signs that may indicate that lack of sleep is interfering with the development of the adolescent’s life. “Taking naps, which is generally not normal at this age, feeling tired and distracted at school; His academic performance may worsen and he may have an unstable mood, with a tendency to irritability,” continues this specialist. In these cases, she advises going to the family doctor.
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