It’s a fact that teens have something against sleep! No matter what you do, they would just not sleep! And what’s the result? They’d wake up looking like a zombie, groggy-eyed and not one bit focused.  Staying up all night and sleeping whole day impacts their alertness and concentration. And who’s to blame? Smartphones, tablets and laptops for keep them awake all night long! Ask a teenager and they’d tell you that there’s too much to be done- texting, social media, online calling and what not- and what other time to do it all? Obviously, night time! But it’s a big red flag for parents!

Teens won’t get enough sleep

It’s a no-brainer that teens find it hard to sleep thanks to the smartphones that most of the teens take to their beds. Here is what moms found out their kids to be doing when they were supposed to be sleeping:

Source: SpeechBuddy

4 tips to avoid sleep deprivation

Tip 1: screen-free bedrooms

I know how teens nag to get LCD TVs in their bedrooms now but did you know that screens stimulate the photo sensor that signals the brain to stay awake? Yes, screen leads the teens to be awake in the bed. You could go for removing LCD and laptops from their bedrooms and gradually get them ready to avoid the tablets and smartphones few hours before the bed.

Tip 2: No social networking an hour before lights-out

Teens keep on checking the social networking sites even after the lights-out. It can cause anxiety, self-consciousness, sadness and other emotional stresses in teens. Imagine if your teen is feeling a little low already, how would it feel to read a few statuses from their friends that they are having fun? It might be a little overwhelming and may cause your teen stress and lose sleep. Going for a digital way to handle the issue could be a great option. You could use parental controls to lock phones after bedtime and can even block the social media apps on their phones.

Tip 3: Avoid late night calling & texting habits

Teens are texting, calling & tweeting all night which is leaving them tired. It’s one of the biggest causes of disturbed sleep patterns and stressful days at the school. To avoid this, you can Watchlist certain contacts to stay in the know if they call them up late at night. Or you could also block certain apps to reduce Tweeting in the bed.

Tip 4: Stop late night surfing

It’s another big reason behind teens staying up at the night. They have a number of devices to browse the Internet like, tablets, laptops and their smartphones. But the most common device which they use in the bed is their smartphone. So reduce the online surfing at night by monitoring when they browse the most.

A little harsh parental control is for your children’s own good. At least, they’d get some good sleep and finally be able to pay attention at school and get their creative juices running. It’s not only about the school performance; sleep deprivation in teens can even affect their decision taking capabilities, too.

So while your teens might be too excited and too occupied to fall asleep in time, make a little effort and make sure they get ample sleep alright!