Adolescence - the transitional period from childhood to adulthood - has some features of the growth and functioning of a young organism, which are often accompanied by he alth problems. Insomnia in teenagers is one such problem that affects not only their physical condition, but also school performance, relationships with parents and friends.
Causes of insomnia
According to medical studies, the norm of sleep for a child of 14-15 years is 8.5-9 hours, which means that he should go to bed at 22.00 in the evening if he has to get up for school at 7.00 in the morning. However, many children at this age begin to have trouble falling asleep. Insomnia in adolescence is common (about 12.5% of 14-year-olds) and often happens not because of their unwillingness to sleep, but because the child's brain is not ready to fall asleep.
The most common reason for this is the delay in the production of the hormone melatonin, which occurs at this age later than in adults. As a result, the child's brain cannot tune in to the process of falling asleep in any way, and experiences and thoughts about it also do not contribute to solving the problem.
Causes of insomnia in teens:
- Physiological changes (hormonal changes) in a child's body at this age.
- Emotional stress (stress, depressive states, experiences) when children at this age are worried for some reason that seems trifling to adults.
- Incorrectly composed or disturbed daily routine, especially during the holidays, when the child tries to go to bed later, explaining that he will "sleep off tomorrow", and then sleeps for a long time in the morning and afternoon, making efforts to "catch up" sleep time or sleep ahead (which is completely impossible according to scientific research) - there is a knockdown of the usual schedule of the day and, accordingly, sleep.
- Heavy workload (mental and emotional), most often associated with school requirements.
- Weak physical activity, because at this age movement, sports, active games are essential for normal development.
- Bad habits that appear when a child has a lot of free time, when he can get carried away with smoking, drinking low-alcohol drinks, drugs (this also includes coffee and various energy drinks).
- Incorrectly organized preparation for sleep (lack of sleep ritual, uncomfortable room environment or uncomfortable bed).
- The most common reason right now is online communication and the influence of the internet.
How insomnia manifests
Parents with a child aged 14-15 need tomonitor with increased attention to his he alth and quality of sleep. First of all, the decrease in nighttime sleep, when the child sleeps less than 8 hours, can be a cause for concern.
You also need to observe the period when the process of falling asleep occurs. For a he althy person, this time is usually up to 15 minutes, and if a teenager “toils” and cannot fall asleep for a long time (up to 2 hours) due to untimely thoughts, memories, music or the inconvenience of the bed, then this should make parents think about reasons for this.
Quite often, insomnia in adolescents manifests itself in night awakenings associated with various troubles (nightmare, noise, etc.). A he althy child will usually fall asleep immediately, while someone with sleep problems may take some time to do so.
A clear sign of lack of sleep is the difficult process of getting the child out of bed in the morning. After a night of sleep problems, a teenager feels a feeling of weakness and discomfort. If this feeling does not go away within the next half hour, then it is a symptom of insomnia.
Baby sleep deprivation symptoms
Insomnia in a 14-year-old teenager is reflected primarily in his physical and mental state. The consequences of poor sleep and nocturnal insomnia at this age are external signs and changes in the behavior and character of the child:
- irritable and even aggressive state in the morning and afternoon;
- frequent whims for nothing;
- there are signs of bad school timeconcentration,
- memory deterioration when doing homework and studying;
- declining school performance;
- chronic fatigue;
- decreased appetite or, conversely, the desire to eat more than usual.
Teenage insomnia treatment
Parents in such a situation are worried about insomnia in a teenager. What to do, they ask. According to medical reports, insomnia is not a human disease, but only one of the symptoms of an unexplained he alth problem. Therefore, the first step in solving such a problem is to find out and clarify the causes of sleep disturbance.
Then parents should help their child deal with such a problem. After all, the main thing is to break the vicious circle, when depression and other problems cause a violation of falling asleep in a child, and then insomnia itself is the cause of subsequent physical and psychological disorders of a teenager's he alth.
Events to normalize sleep
Insomnia in teenagers, if it is of a short duration, can be eliminated with the help of certain measures that parents should take, regardless of the causes of insomnia:
- The ban on late dinner, especially with the intake of spicy, smoked and fatty foods, chocolate and sweets, strong coffee and tea. If the child wants to have dinner before bedtime, then it would be optimal to offer him any dairy products.
- Inspect the child's bed and bedroom for replacement of uncomfortable beddingor the bed itself. It is recommended to remove irritants that can interfere with falling asleep.
- Reduce communication with the phone, TV and computer in the evening, turn off all equipment an hour before bedtime.
- If a child sleeps in a common room, it is important to fence off the children's area for him, for example, using a screen.
Insomnia Prevention
Parents often cannot agree with their growing child on some pressing issues. However, only this can help to defeat the problem of insomnia. It is extremely necessary to find a common language with him in order to solve this problem together in the following ways:
- agree that the child goes to bed constantly at the same time, then he will develop the necessary reflex;
- refuse daytime sleep (if it was before), make sure that the child does not fall asleep after 17.00;
- prohibit using the computer and watching TV in the evening, especially films and games with elements of fights and horrors;
- explain that you need to give up the consumption of stimulating drinks in the afternoon, it is better to drink herbal tea in the evening (better soothing - mint, lemon balm and other herbs);
- After going to bed, make sure the teenager's room is dark, this will help speed up the production of melatonin.
Treatment of chronic insomnia
When insomnia in adolescents does not go away for a long time despite the fact that all measures to eliminate it from the side of parents andthe child has already been taken, then it makes sense to talk about the chronic form of the disease, then it is possible to use treatment with herbs or medicines.
Remedies for insomnia for teenagers should be prescribed by a doctor who will help determine the cause of poor sleep and recommend ways to solve this problem. Most often, experts recommend the following medications:
- Melatonin (sleep hormone) can only be used for short term treatment and only after the onset of puberty.
- Various herbal teas: chamomile, mint, passionflower. This tea should be drunk half an hour before falling asleep.
- Valerian is considered the most common plant for eliminating sleep disorders, but there is a risk (precisely in adolescence) of getting the opposite effect, when valerian root can cause increased anxiety.
When you need a doctor's consultation
If all measures to improve the process of falling asleep and improving the quality of night sleep in a child do not help, then a doctor's consultation may be necessary. The cause of insomnia may be diseases of the nervous system or psychological problems in a child.
Therefore, in the case of emotional disorders, it is best to have an interview with a psychologist. Such a highly qualified specialist will be able to help the child cope with their negative emotions and solve "teenage problems".
A specialist psychologist will teach a teenager to control his emotions, prevent the negative impact of emotional stress (quarrels in the family and with friends, trouble at school, etc.), and also recommend parents to improve their family relationships, to prevent a clear showdown in the presence of a teenager, which is also a common cause of psychological problems.
Good emotional balance in such a situation should stabilize the mental state of a teenager.
Conclusion
Having considered all aspects of solving such a common problem as insomnia in adolescents, the causes, treatment of short-term and chronic forms of the disease, we can conclude that only by joint efforts together with a teenager can parents help a child get rid of insomnia.
