📚Why Do Teens Sleep So Much?

As a parent of a teenager, you might often find yourself concerned about their sleeping habits. Are you aware of the recommended number of sleep hours for a teenager? And what might be the reason behind your teenager’s excessive sleepiness? These are common questions that probably go through your mind frequently. This piece aims to address these queries and provide relevant solutions. So, to begin, let’s tackle the question: why do teens sleep so much?

• Your Teen is Staying Up Late at Night

With the latest trend in technology, most teens get caught up between playing games or spending lots of time on social media. It’s so addictive to the extent you’ll still find them awake at midnight. Can you really help them? I don’t think so. They are not small kids anymore so confiscating these gadgets is not an option.

• They Are Very Active During the Day

If your teen is involved in sporting activities, they will often find themselves sleeping more than the usual time. Obviously, the teen will be extremely tired during the day and the moment they get to bed they sleep like a log. It’s good to be active in sports, but there should be a limit.

• Overfeeding

Is your teen eating a balanced diet? What is his food portion? An overfed child, regardless of the age, will tend to oversleep. Ensure that your teen is not eating all the time. You could also try to discourage them from eating a lot of junk food. This is not only good for the health but also promotes a healthy sleep.

• Effects of Medication

If your teen is on medication, this might be the reason. Some medicines have drowsiness as a side effect. If this is the case and it goes on for a long time, you could consult a doctor.

• Laziness

Lazy teens often find themselves sleeping too much; the reason being that they do not want to be involved in any activities. And so they turn to bed instead. Any free time they get is usually spent sleeping. Try to engage your teen in minor activities at first and then when you notice a change you could increase these activities.

As a parent, you can also help by restricting activities that are taking up your teen’s time. These include the television, phones, the internet, and social media groups. Teens overly involved in such activities end up being extremely lazy. Just like grown-ups, right? The only difference is that responsibilities force grown-ups to change, but teens have nothing to drive them to change.

• Your Teen is Having a Busy Day

If your teen is working during the day, this may result in sleeping for many hours. They may be overworked and not get free time to relax. As a parent, you could try and see how to help them balance their work/school routine.

• Emotional Problems

Your teen may be oversleeping as a result of stress or depression. This may lead to them using sleep as a way to escape reality. Ensure that you monitor your teen and note the changes in them as they occur. Your teen may also be having self-esteem issues- if this is the case seek the help of counselor to guide both of you.

• A Lot of School Work

How much homework is your teen given at school? How much time does your teen take to complete school work? Homework tends to take a lot of time to complete. And so your teen is drained and will most definitely sleep late and consequently wake up very late.

• Puberty

Puberty is a very challenging age for any kid. Due to so many physical and emotional changes taking place, your teen will most definitely oversleep. This is not something to worry about. It is a stage that passes over with time and your kid gets back to himself. However, a lot of counseling might be necessary to help your child cope with these stages and most importantly accept the new transformation.

Signs Your Teenager is Tired

Have you tried to involve your teen in an activity after school and you find that they are disinterested or easily distracted? Is your child having difficulties in finishing their food during dinner? Is your teen usually sleepy before the normal sleeping time? Is your teenager having a problem in keeping up with a conversation? Is your child having a list of incomplete work?

These are the questions you should be worried about most. Chances are that your teen is really tired if the answer to most of those questions is yes.

When is Your Teenager Sleeping a Lot?

Are you aware that a teenager should have at least eight to nine hours of sound sleep every day? This is the average recommended time to sleep for a teenager. What activities does your teen indulge in every day? Finally, does your teen oversleep every morning? If the answer is no, then find out what happened during the previous day when they oversleep.

Effects of a Teenager Oversleeping

If you are dealing with a teenager tired all the time, they always oversleep in the morning. As a result, they will end up going to school late and probably skip breakfast. This will eventually lead to your teen having problems in school with the teachers and also performing poorly. This is not the best way to start your day, right? It’s a nice feeling when you wake up on time and get ready for the day in a calm and relaxed environment.

Sleeping so much also has health complications. Because the teen will not have time to be active, they tend to add a lot of weight. An overweight teen is always ridiculed at school and also short of friends. Consequently, this tends to lower their self-esteem and brings home a depressed child.

Possible Solutions When Your Teenager Sleeps a Lot

You could come up with a sleeping schedule to help your child know when to go to bed and when to wake up. You can also include other activities that will assist in getting your child enough sleep.

As a parent it’s very helpful to create a smooth relationship with your teen. This puts you in a better position to know when they are disturbed or having emotional issues. Your teen could be having problems in school and it’s good to be involved in his studies and know how he is performing.

Enough healthy exercises and physical activities will help a lot in normalizing the sleep circle of your teen. If you combine that with a healthy diet, you might as well find a permanent solution.

The Bottom Line

Sleeping the recommended hours is very crucial for a teen. I hope you can now answer the question; why do teens sleep so much? Develop a good relationship with your teen as this will help you notice any changes in them. You could also seek professional help if oversleeping persists for a long time. Share with us your experience or any questions you might have in the comments section.