In a few weeks my son will officially become a teenager. It’s hard to believe, but undeniable – in a little over a year he’s grown five inches, his voice has dropped an octave, and his 8:15 pm bedtime is a thing of the past.
I’ve always run a tight ship when it comes to sleep. Until about a year ago he was asleep every night by 8:30 pm and happily bouncing out of bed by 7:00 am. Now, bedtime is a completely different story. No matter what time the lights go out he doesn’t fall asleep until 11:00 pm and can easily sleep in until 9:00 or 10:00 am in the morning.
If you have an adolescent in the house, the scenario is probably familiar. Tweens and teens are notorious for wanting to stay up late and sleep in. But if you think they’re just being difficult when they begin to fight bedtime, you’re mistaken. They’re not staying up late because they don’t want to sleep. They’re staying up late because they can’t sleep.
If your teen or tween staying up half the night and sleeping until noon my FCMB article on Teen and Tween Sleep Challenges discusses this shift in sleep patterns and offers tips to help your adolescent get the rest they need.
No comments yet.