Sleep habits in your teenagers

[TammyS]

My 16 year old is definitely an early to bed, early to rise type.  He's lights out by 9pm (sometimes earlier, if he's tired) and gets up at 6am ready to go.  He cooks breakfast for everyone (sometimes I think he's so eager just because 9 hours without food is ages for him).  On weekends he'll sometimes sleep until 7:30-8am. 

 

We've never allowed children to stay up late, so I don't know if he would naturally stay up late on his own.  My sanity dictates that kids are out of my face by 8pm. Of course, at his age he needn't necessarily go to sleep at 8, he usually reads for a while, but he's always gone by 9pm.  

 

I keep hearing about articles that say teens naturally are night owls, but I'm not convinced. I do see that they need a lot of sleep.  I get that fully.  I wonder if these "studies" are controlling for artificial light and especially screen light? Anyone know?  It might account for why we don't have night owls (no TV or electronics except computers, and even then only on an as-needed basis).

[Pam in CT]

When nothing is scheduled, why is there an issue?

 

There have been studies on adolescent sleep, it's been in te news. Unless there are commitments scheduled, let it go.

 

This.

 

My eldest, now 20, leans to the early riser side of our family spectrum.  As a teen, she maybe slept until 9 if nothing was going on; and these days, she gets up on her own by 8 or so.  She is, however, a BEAR when a commitment forces her up when she's still tired.

 

My middle, now 16, will if let to his own devices stay in his bed until noon or later.  He's not asleep, though -- he's on Facebook or otherwise fiddling on his tablet or reading or, on a good day, starting in on his homework.  In his case, he'll lounge in bed all day because he doesn't get HUNGRY and therefore sees no reason to get up.  He attends a school with a long commute; on school days he has to get up at 5:45; and of the whole family I'd say he is the most pleasant when woken early.

 

My youngest, nearly 12, will stay in bed until 10 or 11 if nothing is scheduled, though like my son she is usually awake and drawing or reading; and she only gets up when she is hungry.  She is, however, into so many activities that it's a rare day indeed when she doesn't have anything scheduled.  She too is a beast immediately upon awakening.

 

 

My husband will wake up around 8 or 8:30, and has no.patience.at.all for the lounging thing.  He's a bit grumpy before coffee.

 

I also wake up around 8 or 8:30, but am very very very happy to lounge in bed reading, particularly if someone brings me coffee, until 11.  I cherish that time.  (My husband doesn't relate in.the.slightest.)

 

 

 

With the kids, I'm much more focused on 1) their ability to get up and out on the days when they need to; and 2) their ability to restrain their grumpiness to a minimally acceptable level of civility... than what they do, on the days when they don't need to do anything...