Brilliant book : The new teenage (Dr Ginni Mansberg & Jo Lamble)
“Sleep is the forgotten cousin of mental health” : Dr Chris Seton.
Get sleep right and many of the other issues will follow
How many of us battle with screen time with our teens? It’s a world we never lived in growing up, and trying to adjust to this is very challenging at times.
As a health coach it is very important to me that my boys get the right amount of sleep and get off their devises at a reasonable time before bed. Here are a few reasons as to why we need to educate our teenagers to think of the importance of their sleep:
Lack of sleep in teens ..
Lowered immune system:
Sleep deprivation in teens has been linked to lower levels of human growth hormone, which, as well as enhancing physical growth, boosts the immune system. Plus, not getting enough sleep slashes the number of important immune cells in a teenager’s body by 30-40%, impairing their ability to fight everyday infections.
It also adversely impacts on immune system cells being able to talk to each other through ‘cytokines’ such as interleukin.
Poor sporting performance:
A study in the NBA basketball players showed huge improvement when they got more sleep.
Adequate sleep saw the sportsman reacting more quickly, remembering their set play better, and showing great accuracy in shooting and faster sprinting. They also increased their 3-point field goal percentage by 9.2% and their free throw percentage by 9%.
Plus the players reported they felt better physically and mentally during competitions and practises when they slept more.
Weight gain:
Being sleep deprived alters the food choices you make. One bad night sleep steers you to eat poor quality foods and more food in general.
It’s linked to random hunger times, so you snack all day.
Lack of sleep stuffs up your metabolism through disrupting hormones; your full hormone Leptin keeps it levels naturally high during sleep so that you can last a full night in bed without needing to eat.
The other hormone impacted by sleep deprivation is ghrelin (hunger hormone) that is made in the gut. This tends to get dialled down naturally during sleep.
Studies in humans show that sleep deprivation raises ghrelin levels, making teenagers’ appetites surge.
Sleep deprivation also has effects on other hormones, such as thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), cortisol and growth hormone.
These might also contribute to the effect of sleep deprivation on obesity.
Takeaways:
- Sleep deprivation is common in teenagers – most don’t recognise it.
- The impacts are massive, from mental health and physical health to academic or sporting achievements
- You have to take a hard line on this one. The earlier it’s done the better.
- You have to take your own sleep seriously too
- No screens in the bedroom after 9pm – non -negotiable
- Bed is for sleeping, not eating or studying.
Make this your new focus point
