Sleep: A Teenager's Best Friend

The start of September means compiling a whole new set of resolutions for the school year. Whether it’s aiming for an ‘A’ in English, trying out for basketball or simply making new friends, you won’t be prepared to face any of these… unless you’ve put sleep at the top of that list.

If you’re like most teens, you crave that 10 full hours of snoozing – no alarm clocks to stir you from your dreams and badger you with the day’s stress. But that obviously isn’t the reality for most students!

Our lives are becoming busier than ever. A look back at our uncluttered elementary school lives shows us just how much harder we have to work to earn that ‘A’ on our report cards. But the paradox exists: we’re working harder to be successful; but we’re sleeping less, which affects our success rate. Just as your alarm clock wakes you up each morning, an internal biological clock – or circadian clock – regulates the time you want to go to bed. During your teen years, this biological clock (located in the hypothalamus of the brain) is temporarily reset, telling you to fall asleep later, thus waking up later. So although teens need exactly nine hours and 30 minutes of sleep a night according to the Canadian Sleep Disorders Association, many find it difficult to fall asleep earlier to ensure adequate rest. But that of course doesn’t give you an excuse to go to bed past midnight either. It just means we need to set our own standards to make sure that we get the nine hours of sleep our body and brain crave.

Many teens, even when exhausted, and obviously not listening to their circadian clock, can pull an all-nighter. I can hear you say, “I’m a strong guy. I can make it through the week!” Wrong, my friend! If you think sleep is just an extended rest for your body, then it’s time to think again. This is especially true for teenagers because the chemical hormones needed for physical growth are actually released during our slumber. According to Sweet Dreams, a book written by noted family pediatrician Paul Fleiss, twice as many hormones are carried through our blood at night during rest than during the day – so a lot more than just our mood swings are being regulated at night. In reality, entire systems in our body, such as the muscles and bones, are all growing and working tirelessly while we sleep.

Getting enough sleep also has more than just physical implications. An organized sleeping pattern will also allow your brain to function properly. Ryan, a grade 10 student at Harry Ainlay High School, recalls the experience of falling asleep in his afternoon classes after spending the whole night on his computer. “I could feel my mind wobbling back and forth. The moment your teacher’s words flow through your ears, [the information] flows out. It was just distracting!” In contrast, a good night’s sleep will enable you to learn, think, remember and handle emotions effectively.

Sleep even has psychological merits. On the days when we’re distracted by our emotions, by a poor test grade or by an argument with a friend or family member, it will all seem less overwhelming under a toasty blanket. Our brains vent the frustrations of the day in the form of dreams. Dr. Fleiss even suggests that dreams can help us take a look at the events of the day in an unbiased manner.

Sleep is a bodily function that affects just about every aspect of your life (and just about everyone in your life as well). There’s a time to work, a time to play and a time to rest. So if you want to tackle the school year successfully, then it’s time you start reflecting on your own sleep agenda, cull out the bad habits and start the morning on the well rested side of the bed.