Adolescence - the transition period from childhood to adulthood - has some features of the growth and functioning of the young body, which are often accompanied by health problems. Insomnia in adolescents is one of these problems, which affects not only his physical condition, but also school performance, relationships with parents and friends.
Causes of Insomnia
According to medical studies, the sleep norm for a child of 14-15 years old is 8.5-9 hours, which means that he should go to bed at 22.00 in the evening, if he needs to get up to school at 7.00 in the morning. However, many children at this age begin to experience problems with falling asleep. Insomnia in adolescence is common (about 12.5% ​​of children 14 years of age) and often does not happen 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 late production of the hormone melatonin, which occurs at this age later than in adults. As a result, the child’s brain can’t tune in to the process of falling asleep, and worries and thoughts about this also do not contribute to solving the problem.
Causes of insomnia in adolescents:
- Physiological changes (hormonal changes) in the body of a child at this age.
- Emotional tension (stresses, depressive states, feelings) when children at this age are worried for some reason that seems to be trifling as an adult.
- Improperly composed or disturbed daily routines, especially during the vacation period, when the child tries to go to bed later, explaining that he “sleeps tomorrow” and then sleeps for a long time in the morning and in the afternoon, making efforts to “catch up” sleep time or get enough sleep (which is absolutely impossible according to the research conducted by scientists) - the usual schedule of the day and, accordingly, sleep is knocked down.
- Large loads (mental and emotional), which is most often associated with school requirements.
- Weak physical activity, because at this age movement, sports, active games are extremely necessary for normal development.
- Bad habits that appear when a child has a lot of free time, when he can be addicted to smoking, drinking low-alcohol drinks, drugs (this also includes coffee and various energy drinks).
- Improperly organized preparation for bed (lack of a ritual of falling asleep, uncomfortable atmosphere in the room or uncomfortable bed).
- The most common reason now is online communication and the influence of the Internet.
How does insomnia manifest
Parents who have a child aged 14-15 years, need to monitor with increased attention to his health and quality of sleep. A cause for concern may be, first of all, a decrease in the time of night sleep, when the child sleeps less than 8 hours.
You also need to observe the period when the process of falling asleep occurs. For a healthy person, this time is usually up to 15 minutes, and if a teenager “rummages” and cannot fall asleep for a long time (up to 2 hours) due to untimely thoughts, memories, music or the inconvenience of the bed, this should make parents think about reasons for this.
Quite often, insomnia in adolescents manifests itself in nocturnal awakenings associated with various troubles (nightmare, noise, etc.). A healthy child usually falls asleep immediately, and someone who suffers from sleep problems can spend some time on this.
A clear sign of lack of sleep is the difficult process of getting a baby out of bed in the morning. After nightly sleep problems, the teenager feels a sense of frustration and discomfort. If this sensation does not disappear in the next half hour, then it is a symptom of insomnia.
Symptoms of sleep deprivation
Insomnia in a teenager of 14 years is reflected primarily in his physical and mental condition. The consequences of poor sleep and night insomnia at this age are external signs and changes in the behavior and character of the child:
- irritated and even aggressive state in the morning and afternoon;
- frequent vagaries of nothing;
- during school hours there are signs of poor attention span,
- memory impairment when doing homework and studying;
- decreased school performance;
- chronic fatigue;
- decreased appetite or, conversely, a desire to eat more than usual.
Teenage Insomnia: Treatment
Parents in this situation are concerned about insomnia in a teenager. What to do, they ask. According to medical reports, insomnia is not some kind of human disease, but only one of the symptoms of an unexplained health problem. Therefore, the first step to solve this problem is to find out and clarify the causes of sleep disturbances.
Then parents should help their child deal with this 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 the subsequent physical and psychological disorders in the health of a teenager.
Activities to normalize sleep
Insomnia in adolescents, if it is of a short-term nature, can be eliminated with the help of certain measures that parents should take, regardless of the reasons causing insomnia:
- A ban on late dinner, especially with spicy, smoked and fatty foods, chocolate and sweets, strong coffee and tea. If the child wants to have dinner before bedtime, then it will be optimal to offer him any dairy products.
- Inspect the child’s bed and bedroom for replacement of uncomfortable bedding or the bed itself. It is recommended to remove irritating factors that may 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, then it is important to fence off a children's zone for him, for example, using a screen.
Insomnia Prevention
Parents often cannot agree on some pressing issues with their growing child. However, only this can help to overcome the problem of insomnia. Finding a common language with him is extremely necessary 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;
- abandon daytime sleep (if it was earlier), make sure that the child does not fall asleep after 17.00;
- to prohibit using a computer and watching TV in the evening, especially films and games with elements of fights and horrors;
- explain that you need to abandon the consumption of exciting drinks in the afternoon, in the evening it is better to drink herbal tea (soothing better - mint, lemon balm and other herbs);
- after going to bed, provide darkness in the teenager’s room, this will help accelerate the production of melatonin.
Treatment for 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 the parents and the child have already been taken, it makes sense to talk about the chronic form of the disease, then it is possible to use treatment with medicinal herbs or medicines.
Remedies for insomnia for adolescents should be prescribed by a doctor who will help determine the cause of poor sleep and recommend solutions to such a problem. Most often, experts recommend the following medications:
- Melatonin (sleep hormone) can be used for treatment only for a short period and only after the onset of puberty in a teenager.
- Various teas based on herbal preparations: chamomile, mint, from passionflower. Such tea should be drunk half an hour before falling asleep.
- Valerian is considered the most common plant for the elimination of sleep disorders, but there is a risk (namely in adolescence) of obtaining the opposite effect, when valerian root can cause increased anxiety.
When is a doctor needed
If all measures to improve the process of falling asleep and improving the quality of night sleep in a child do not help, then you may need to consult a doctor. The cause of insomnia can 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 his negative emotions and solve "teenage problems."
A specialist psychologist will teach a teenager to control their emotions, prevent the negative impact of emotional stress (quarrels in the family and with friends, trouble at school, etc.), and also recommend that parents improve their family relationships, not allow explicit clarification of the relationship in the presence of the teenager, which is also a common cause of psychological problems.
A good emotional balance in such a situation should stabilize the mental state of the adolescent.
Conclusion
Having considered all aspects of solving such a common problem as insomnia in adolescents, causes, treatment of short-term and chronic forms of the disease, we can conclude that only by joint efforts together with the teenager can parents help the child get rid of insomnia.