Understanding Sleep Problems among Adolescents

Teenagers usually don’t get proper sleep even if they want to. After experiencing a series of sleepless nights, they can have a sleep deficit, causing your teens to experience emotional problems and they may find it difficult to study, work and concentrate.
Sleep problems with adolescents are more common compared to children and adults because of several reasons. Medical experts explain that teenager's biological clock changes during adolescence, which makes it harder for teens to fall asleep and wake up early. The changes of a teen’s body are caused by the brain hormone called “melatonin” that is produced later at night in adolescents, making it harder for teens to sleep early. This sleep problem is called “delayed sleep phase syndrome”, which affects many (but not all) teens. Other reasons for sleep problems among adolescents include stress, physical discomforts or sleeping environment.
Five Common Sleep Problems

Other sleep problems can disrupt your teen’s sleep.

This includes PLMD (Periodic Limb Movement Disorder) that occurs when your leg or arm movements disrupt the sleep, leaving your teens irritable or tired from lack of sleep. With this condition, the adolescent is not aware that he or she is moving their arms or legs.
A condition called RLS (Restless Leg Syndrome) is similar to PLMD, except that teens can feel tingling, burning, cramping or itching in their limbs. This sleep problem can only be relieved by moving the arms or legs. However, doctors can also treat people with PLMD or RLS with proper medication.
Another common sleep problem is obstructive sleep apnea. With this condition, the person suddenly stops breathing when he or she sleeps. Causes of sleep apnea include obesity, enlarged tonsils or swollen adenoids. When a person has this sleep problem, he or she tends to snore, find it difficult to breath and sweat during sleep.
Teens experience nightmares rarely. However, when they do happen, nightmares can disrupt a person’s sleep patterns. Stress, anxiety or other emotional problems, drugs, alcohol, medication and lack of sleep cause nightmares. A therapist, counselor or doctor should treat frequent nightmares.
Adolescents rarely experience sleepwalking. It is caused by fever or lack of sleep. However, these sleep problems may run in your family. If this is the case, you don’t have to worry because sleepwalking is not harmful. You just have to guide the sleepwalker back to bed.
Sleep problems with your teens can be easily treated with proper medication and guidance. However, if the condition persists, you have to seek medical attention immediately.