Sleep and Teen Health
Restorative sleep, an overlooked but crucial pillar of health…
Most of us know the crucial roles that nutrition and physical activity play in supporting a child's overall well-being. They're the pillars of healthy living, emphasized from an early age. But what happens when a teen has genuinely tried to make changes in these areas — eating better, moving more — and still doesn't feel better? Or when they're simply not ready to tackle those areas yet?
This is a question that comes up often in my work. I've seen many patients who, despite optimizing medications and diligently working on nutrition and exercise, continue to struggle with fatigue, poor sleep, and a persistent sense of "just not thriving."
Lifestyle medicine has provided me with the language and tools to dig deeper with my patients and explore the broader, interconnected factors that influence health. While food and movement are foundational, other lifestyle factors are also powerful contributors to how we feel and function each day, with sleep often being overlooked.
How Much Sleep Should a Teen Get?
Ideal amount: 9 to 10 hours per night
Minimum recommended: At least 8 hours per night, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
Unfortunately, many teens fall short of these recommendations due to academic pressures, social activities, screen time, and shifting biological sleep rhythms.
Signs of Sleep Deprivation
Sleep deprivation can manifest in a variety of ways, and not always as simple "sleepiness."
Excessive daytime sleepiness or hyperactivity
Difficulty paying attention
Irritability, impatience, mood swings
Symptoms resembling depression or anxiety
Recognizing these signs early is essential to preventing long-term consequences on a teen's physical and emotional health.
The Benefits of Getting Enough Sleep
1. Cardiovascular and Metabolic Health: During sleep, blood vessels and cells undergo critical repair processes. Consistent, quality sleep reduces the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke later in life.
2. Immune System Support: While we sleep, our bodies produce cytokines, proteins that help fight infection and inflammation. Sleep strengthens the immune system, making it easier to recover from illnesses and stay healthy. Chronic stress from sleep deprivation weakens our immune system.
3. Accident Prevention: Sleep deprivation impairs judgment, slows reaction time, and diminishes decision-making abilities. Drowsy driving is particularly dangerous, but even minor lapses in attention during sports or physical activities can increase injury risk.
4. Healthy Weight Management Sleep plays a critical role in regulating hunger hormones:
Leptin tells the brain that the body has had enough to eat.
Ghrelin signals the body to eat more.
Lack of sleep decreases leptin and increases ghrelin, leading to increased appetite and potential overeating. Furthermore, sleep deprivation reduces energy and motivation for physical activity.
5. Mental Health and Emotional Resilience Inadequate sleep can heighten feelings of tension, anger, confusion, and fatigue. It can also exacerbate symptoms of anxiety and depression, creating a challenging cycle that impacts a teen's overall sense of well-being.
6. Enhanced Memory, Learning, and Focus When we sleep, the brain consolidates daily experiences into memories, a vital process for learning. Even a modest reduction in sleep (for example, getting 7 hours instead of 9) can impair focus, attention, and academic performance. Athletes, too, benefit from better sleep through improved reaction times, decreased injury rates, and faster recovery periods.
To summarize, nutrition and exercise are well-known pillars of health, but sleep is equally critical for a child's development and success. Encouraging healthy sleep habits in teens can have a profound impact on their physical health, emotional resilience, academic achievement, and athletic performance.
By prioritizing sleep as a vital component of lifestyle medicine, we can empower young people to not just survive, but to truly thrive.
If you have questions about how to support better sleep habits for your teen, or if you're interested in how lifestyle medicine can support your family's health goals, feel free to reach out or schedule a consultation!