I guess this goes here: How do you keep your teens awake and rested?

[Jenny in Florida]

My son is struggling to stay awake and alert enough to do schoolwork, especially in the mornings. He likes to take reading into his room (something I allow on behalf of his cat, who rarely comes out of the room because he hates the dog, and about whom I feel guilty when he's in there all day without company), and it's a rare day when he doesn't nod off at least once.

 

He is moderately active, but not extremely so. He dances a few hours each week, does musical theatre (right now only one rehearsal each week) and putters around building things in the backyard. He eats better than most teens I know, but there is room for improvement. We're working on it. He is usually in bed by 10:30 and asleep quickly. I wake him at 7:30-ish each morning.

 

Today, out of frustration, I actually suggested he drink some coffee. He has a full academic plate this year, and he really needs to perk up or buckle down and get to work, which is tough if he's dozing off twice a day.

 

So, is anyone else having trouble with this? And, if so, have you found any strategies that are helpful?

[regentrude]

Looks like he gets enough sleep, 9 hours. So, I don't think lack of sleep would account for nodding off during the day.

Things I'd try:

exercise first thing in the morning, even if it's just a brisk walk, before starting school.

schedule active work first, not simple reading; it is easy to nod off while reading, less easy while doing math problems or working on a project. I'd move anything that involves reading only to the afternoon.

 

I can't say we ever had this kind of problem; my DD does not get enough sleep, but once she is up and working for the day, she does not fall back asleep. She might nod off if she reads in late afternoon.

 

If this is persistent with your son, I would make sure he gets checked for possible sleep apnea - the hallmark symptom is nodding off during the day.

[Jenny in Florida]

I'd just add another hour of sleep, then make sure the carb/protein/fat ratio of breakfast is appropriate. Also hydrate. Keep room dark while sleeping.

 

No electronics in room is also helpful; there are always some fools that want to text or skype at inappropriate hours. The message alert is enough to disturb sleep.

 

We've been looking more carefully at his diet and have been pleasantly surprised, actually, that he's doing better than we sort of assumed. He drinks a protein-spiked smoothie as part of his breakfast every day. The one thing on which he's a little low is fat. He just doesn't like a lot of fatty foods (a trait that came out of nowhere). And he sips water from a filtered bottle all day.

 

He doesn't have a computer in his room, and we remove his cell phone (when we remember). The computers are in a common area right near our bedroom, and I'm a light sleeper. I'd hear him if he were using any of the electronics.

 

Food for thought, though. Thanks!

[Jenny in Florida]

Looks like he gets enough sleep, 9 hours. So, I don't think lack of sleep would account for nodding off during the day.

Things I'd try:

exercise first thing in the morning, even if it's just a brisk walk, before starting school.

schedule active work first, not simple reading; it is easy to nod off while reading, less easy while doing math problems or working on a project. I'd move anything that involves reading only to the afternoon.

 

I can't say we ever had this kind of problem; my DD does not get enough sleep, but once she is up and working for the day, she does not fall back asleep. She might nod off if she reads in late afternoon.

 

If this is persistent with your son, I would make sure he gets checked for possible sleep apnea - the hallmark symptom is nodding off during the day.

 

He's floated the idea of exercising in the morning, but it's such a chore to get him moving that I hate the idea of adding anything to the pre-schoolwork routine. (Plus, selfishly, I walk in the morning, and I love the alone time.)

 

He does do math and science first, usually.

 

I'm like your daughter. Today, I'm running on four hours of sleep, but I woke at 7:15 and I'll be up for the day. At some point, I should stop being surprised that my son is such a different animal though, huh?

[TranquilMind]

My son is struggling to stay awake and alert enough to do schoolwork, especially in the mornings. He likes to take reading into his room (something I allow on behalf of his cat, who rarely comes out of the room because he hates the dog, and about whom I feel guilty when he's in there all day without company), and it's a rare day when he doesn't nod off at least once.

 

He is moderately active, but not extremely so. He dances a few hours each week, does musical theatre (right now only one rehearsal each week) and putters around building things in the backyard. He eats better than most teens I know, but there is room for improvement. We're working on it. He is usually in bed by 10:30 and asleep quickly. I wake him at 7:30-ish each morning.

 

Today, out of frustration, I actually suggested he drink some coffee. He has a full academic plate this year, and he really needs to perk up or buckle down and get to work, which is tough if he's dozing off twice a day.

 

So, is anyone else having trouble with this? And, if so, have you found any strategies that are helpful?

 

Are you sure he is actually sleeping? Could he be texting or playing video games in bed? Because 10 hours should be enough for him. Does he snore? Sleep apnea signs? Could he just be worrying and tossing and turning a lot? Nightmares?

 

If it doesn't stop, I'd probably get some blood work done. That just doesn't seem right to me if he is actually sleeping 10 hours a night and still can't stay awake.

[cmarango]

I don't have a teen, but I remember when I was a teen (somewhat). As an adult I need 9-10 hours of sleep every night. As a teen I needed anywhere from 10-12 hours. Sounds somewhat crazy as I type this, but I have always been a big sleeper.

 

What time would your teen naturally wake up?

[dbmamaz]

teen internal clock shifts later . . . waking up early is hard for most teens. i would suggest letting him sleep later. my problem is mine stays up late in his room and we dont notice . . .but i let everyone sleep until they wake up.

[jibaker103]

If my 16 yo gets less than 10 hours of sleep he is a nightmare to be around, he fall asleep throughout the day, and cannot function. With 10 hours of sleep he is functioning and nice. On 12 hours of sleep he is perky and excited, greets everyone with a grin, excited about the day has in store, and fun to be around!!! It is truly amazing what two extra hours does to his mood and personality.

[Jenny in Florida]

Are you sure he is actually sleeping? Could he be texting or playing video games in bed? Because 10 hours should be enough for him. Does he snore? Sleep apnea signs? Could he just be worrying and tossing and turning a lot? Nightmares?

 

If it doesn't stop, I'd probably get some blood work done. That just doesn't seem right to me if he is actually sleeping 10 hours a night and still can't stay awake.

 

I said this in response to someone else's comments about electronics:

 

 

He doesn't have a computer in his room, and we remove his cell phone (when we remember). The computers are in a common area right near our bedroom, and I'm a light sleeper. I'd hear him if he were using any of the electronics.

 

Food for thought, though. Thanks!

 

He doesn't have a handheld game thingie. All we have is the Wii, which is in the living room and not even hooked up most of the time.

 

He seems to be sleeping soundly when I check on him. He doesn't snore.

[Jenny in Florida]

What time would your teen naturally wake up?

 

I couldn't tell you, since he so rarely has a chance to try that.

 

The problem with letting him sleep later is that he has somewhere to be most afternoons. Between his extracurriculars and his sister's work and theatre committments, we leave the house by 2:30 every weekday except Thursday. I nag him into packing up schoolwork to take along, but we've had limited success finding places to camp out that are conducive to getting much done.

 

If he's up on time and showered and done with breakfast by 8:30, he has six good hours (minus lunch) to get things accomplished at home. Any extra sleep in the mornings eats away at that time and makes it more difficult to keep up, acdemically.

 

(I won't get into our complicated outside-the-house schedule or the equally convoluted reasons why he has to ride along. I've chatted about that stuff before, and things have only gotten more tangled since then. Suffice it to say that his dance school and his sister's dance school are 15 / 19 miles from the house, and I conserve gas for the car by making only one round trip to take both of them whenever possible. My daughter doesn't drive, and we don't have a third car for her even if she did. So, for the time being, this is what we have to do.)

[AK_Mom4]

Well, if he nods off when reading AND he is getting good sleep at night, I would guess that maybe he needs a little more sleep. When my kids go thru growth spurts, they could easily snooze a couple of extra hours in the day. Since he can't sleep extra in the morning, maybe he could try either napping in the car on his way to activities or going to bed a half hour earlier at night?

 

You can improve on the napping-while-reading problem by making his reading area a little less comfortable. Sitting upright in a chair in a cool room is more likely to keep him awake..... though the cat might not approve.

Some teens just need a lot more sleep than others. Is there a middle ground you can experiment with? Maybe let him sleep in a couple of extra hours three days a week, and wake up early on others? How late does he sleep on weekends?

[Laura Corin]

I'd put him to bed earlier. Calvin is in bed theoretically by 9.30. Now in fact that varies a lot, but on a night when he's tired, 9.30 is it. He gets up at 7. A brisk walk each day might help him to get ready for bed.

 

Laura

[Jenny in Florida]

IAs an adult I need 9-10 hours of sleep every night. As a teen I needed anywhere from 10-12 hours.

 

If my 16 yo gets less than 10 hours of sleep he is a nightmare to be around, he fall asleep throughout the day, and cannot function. With 10 hours of sleep he is functioning and nice. On 12 hours of sleep he is perky and excited, greets everyone with a grin, excited about the day has in store, and fun to be around!!! It is truly amazing what two extra hours does to his mood and personality.

 

Well, it's definitely nice to know he's not the only teen who needs more sleep. Thanks, it truly is reassuring.

[PeterPan]

More sleep. I've been putting my dd in bed at 8:30. Hard in the summer (when the days are long), but now the days are shorter. If he's working that hard, he just needs more sleep.

 

You know, alternately, some people will spend all of Sunday afternoon sleeping. That extended nap helps them catch up. It's what my dh does. And don't forget the ostrich pillow. :)

 

 

[Jenny in Florida]

More sleep. I've been putting my dd in bed at 8:30. Hard in the summer (when the days are long), but now the days are shorter. If he's working that hard, he just needs more sleep.

 

You know, alternately, some people will spend all of Sunday afternoon sleeping. That extended nap helps them catch up. It's what my dh does. And don't forget the ostrich pillow. :)

 

 

 

The ostrich pillow is adorable (and a little weird).

 

He is just really busy. That's something I'm realizing as I read the responses. He has youth group some Sunday afternoons and science museum volunteer shifts on others, for example. He really doesn't have a day when he could conk out on the couch and catch up on his sleep. And, what with the theatre stuff, he's often not even home until 9:00 or 10:00 in the evening, making an earlier bedtime tough, too.

 

And he's the one who wants it this way. There are always just more things he wants to do than there seem to be energy and time to do them. I know his schooled buddies are in the same boat, but I had hoped to insulate him from this mania just a little bit.

[Jenny in Florida]

with a 10:30 bedtime, he could try being up at 8:30, then cutting the morning routine and bkfast to 30 minutes. Nothing wrong with reading while finishing up bkfst. That may work better than trying to settle in for an hour nap after lunch.

 

He'll have to find a place to get work done while out as well as getting things done in the vehicle on the trip in. Can he work on a laptop in the vehicle, listen to audiotext, read from ereader, watch documentary or instruction, etc? Good places to get work done are hard to find, but one place we went had a classroom set aside for parents to use..many were on their laptops doing work at long tables. . Maybe the place you are at could set up something like that if you asked ?

 

Good thoughts, all.

 

We do most of our reading aloud while he eats breakfast. So, that time is already in use.

 

We do not have a laptop for his use.

 

Neither of the dance schools are large enough to have a dedicated study or break room. And, to complicate matters, I frequently have the dog in the car with me, since we're gone for such big chunks of the day and she's frantic when I leave her home.

 

We do bring books (both things he is assigned for independent reading and things we're reading together), and we've been experimenting with doing the oral parts of his foreign language study while we're sitting on the patio at Panera. But it's just not enough.

[TammyS]

I would write out an hour by hour calendar of his week and figure out what gets sacrificed so that he can get the sleep he needs.

 

I would also not have him doing reading in his room. We condition ourselves to sleep in our room. Even if he was getting all the sleep he needs he'd likely fall asleep reading in the place that he reads. If you want him to spend time in his room, get him doing something more active in there (math, chores, whatever).

[ocelotmom]

teen internal clock shifts later . . . waking up early is hard for most teens. i would suggest letting him sleep later. my problem is mine stays up late in his room and we dont notice . . .but i let everyone sleep until they wake up.

 

My thought, too. It's not necessarily realistic to tell a teen to just get to bed earlier so they can wake up earlier.

 

An afternoon nap isn't inherently unhealthy, either. (Though personally, I feel a lot less need to nap in the afternoon eating gluten free and relatively low carb.)

 

It's inconvenient if you have things scheduled, but you can't really blame a teen for their biology any more than you would blame a toddler.

[Starr]

In elementary grades I laughed and said we had an arts school. But we could get school work done more quickly then. In their teens when I overbooked activities their schoolwork suffered. It sounds like you might have to back off some of the extras.