A Teen’s Guide to Better Sleep

Posted on by Jo Carnegie

Sleep better this spring and feel like the best version of you…

If you feel tired most days, struggle to get up for school, or only come alive in the evening… you’re not lazy. You’re a normal teenager. Our bodies are going through a lot of changes and especially when it comes to sleep. But lots of us don’t realise and think there must be something ‘wrong’ with us. There isn’t. The secret is to work with your biology, not against it.

Your body clock is shifting (and no one tells you)

Our bodies run on a natural sleep/wake cycle that change through our lives, depending on our age. Babies sleep loads. As little kids, we have a bedtime. The older we get, the less sleep we need, which is why your parents can go to bed later and get up earlier. Sleep for teenagers is more complicated. Our body clock can shift by up to two hours during this time, which means we don’t get tired later and we want to wake up later.

Unfortunately, this isn’t compatible with the school days. It’s not necessarily that we’re ‘not’ a morning person, it’s that our body hasn’t woken up yet. Wake Up Classes aren’t on the timetable (yet). Cue lots of teens walking around ‘sleep lag’ – a similar state to jetlag.

Why the clocks changing makes it harder

Twice a year, the UK shifts the clocks. When they go back in autumn, the “extra hour” can feel helpful at first. But when they go forward in spring (29th March), we lose an hour of sleep overnight. If you’re already struggling because your body clock is running later, this can make mornings feel almost impossible for a week or two.

You might notice:

  • Extra grogginess
  • Trouble falling asleep
  • A dip in mood
  • Poorer concentration

Again, this is normal. Your body clock simply needs time to adjust.

What lack of sleep really does

Sleep is easy to underestimate, but it affects far more than tiredness. When you’re short on sleep, it shows up everywhere.

You might notice:

  • Irritability or low mood
  • Anxiety feeling stronger
  • Brain fog in lessons
  • Headaches
  • Craving sugary foods
  • Low motivation
  • Snapping at people

This isn’t a personality flaw, or something worrying at play. Chances are, it’s exhaustion. The good news is that little changes can make a big difference. Better sleep starts long before bedtime — it begins in the morning.

Have a good breakfast and don’t worship the sugar gods

Did you know what we eat (or don’t eat) for breakfast can affect how we sleep? If we can have a good breakfast that keeps our sugar levels steady, we are less likely to snack on unhelpful stuff throughout the day. Sugar spikes our blood sugar levels (the ‘sugar rush’) before crashing again, so we reach for more sugar, and it happens all over again.

Some healthy-sounding breakfast cereals have high sugar content, and some are just a sugar fest! We’re not saying stop eating them all together, but try having them at weekends when you’ve got more time to yourself and try more sleep-friendly (or school-friendly) breakfasts in the week. Sugar also interferes with melatonin, the sleep hormone that comes on in the evening. So lay off the sweet stuff if you can at least two hours before bed.

5-minute brekkie options that keep energy steady:

  • Eggs or wholegrain toast with peanut butter
  • Overnight oats
  • Porridge (sweeten with honey, not Golden Syrup!)
  • A banana and nuts if you’re in a rush
Morning sunshine

Getting a burst of sunlight first thing is brilliant for stimulating our body clock and moving into the wake cycle. Morning light is full of natural blue alerting rays (as opposed to the artificial blue ones we get from our devices). Studies show what twenty minutes first thing is enough – so chances are, you’re doing it on your walk to school anyway. If not ‘habit stacking’ and eating your breakfast by a window or a sunny spot in the house. Even on cloudy days, outdoor light is significantly brighter than indoor light – supercharging us with those ‘wakey wakey’ signals our brains and bodies need.

A simple winddown routine that works

Meanwhile at night, the biggest sleep thief is our phone. We probably all know this anyway, but here’s a quick recap. Phones delay our sleep in two ways: the blue light from our screens tells our brain it is daytime, while scrolling and messaging keeps our mind alert and emotionally stimulated. Neither which are good when our heads hit the pillow!

Try this 30–45 minutes before bed:

  • Put your phone on charge away from your bed
  • Dim the lights
  • Avoid super bright bathroom lights. Blue and white LED lights are especially stimulating. Ask a parent about changing to lower wattage lighting.
  • Have a warm shower or bath with some nice relaxing products
  • Cleanse or wash your face, so your skin knows it’s time for sleep
  • Read, journal, or listen to some calm music
  • Routine is key. Keep the same bedtime as much as you can, even at weekends.
  • Springtime means longer, lighter evenings. Invest in black out curtains or wear a sleep mask

And remember…

The goal isn’t perfection, it’s sleeping better. You’re a teenager with a body clock that’s out of sync with school life! Work with your biology – and you’ll feel more like yourself again

Posted in: Blog | Parent/Carer | Professional | Young Person