How to Get Your Teen to Wake Up Earlier
Teenagers sleep A LOT.
And they need to! Teens, with their ever developing bodies and brains, need at least 8-10 hours of sleep a night. They tend to function better at night than in the morning. But even with all of this, it is important for your teens to function and participate in the mornings at your house. So if your teen needs some help in waking up at a more respectable time, here are a few tips. (You'll also find my tips in Mental Floss's "5 Tips for Becoming a Morning Person.")
How anxiety plays into this.
Frequently, my teens with anxiety experience difficulty with sleep, which leads to difficulty in waking up early, or feeling rested enough to be productive in the morning. So, it is very important for your teenager to assess what other emotions are playing into their difficulties in falling or staying asleep.
Five tips for your teen:
Set an alarm to FALL asleep. Having a set bed time helps you stay responsible to yourself, instead of letting yourself get caught up in a book or Netflix and avoid going to sleep.
Practice yoga or meditation before bed time. Help your body relax and still your mind before bed time, so that you don't stay awake with a flurry of thoughts racing as you try to sleep.
Wake up early in increments. If you normally wake up at 9, set the alarm to 8:30 for a week, then 8, then 7:30. Don't jump from 9 to 6 am. It will be much harder to maintain.
Keep a schedule on weekends, instead of reverting back to sleeping in. You won't want your body and brain to re-acclimate to sleeping in and snoozing.
Keep a journal or open your phone to track your anxiety, anger, or depression levels each day, and see if these impact your need to sleep or stay up late. once you can find the patterns, its easier to address and change the problems.
Curious to hear more about counseling for you or your child? Compassionate Counseling St. Louis provides specialized anxiety and anger management therapy for kids, teens, and college students. We work in Clayton, MO and serve kids, teens, and college students throughout St. Louis City, St. Louis County, Ladue, University City, Town and Country, Webster Groves, Creve Coeur, Kirkwood, Richmond Heights, and Brentwood. You can set up your free phone screening to see if we’re a good fit for your needs right on our website.