Question:
Elise (17) stays up till all hours and then just wants to nap when she gets home from school, often through dinner. I feel like we never see her. Is this normal?Answer:
ParentingTeensOnline expert Andrea Marks, M.D. discusses, “Encouraging better health habits in teenagers.” Dr. Marks is an adolescent medicine specialist in New York and serves as Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. She answers:
Many teenagers are night owls, preferring to stay up to all hours of the night (often surfing the net, IMing with friends, or watching TV)…the problem is that they have to get up at 6 or 7 am for school, and are then exhausted by 3 in the afternoon. Some teenagers have true sleep disorders or sleep-phase disturbances, which may require professional help to diagnose and treat. I suggest you speak with your daughter and find out what she is doing late at night….perhaps removing the computer and/or TV from her room, if possible, could help. Trying to prevent that afternoon nap will usually help to bring about an earlier bedtime and return her sleep/wake cycle to a more normal rhythm. I often suggest to my patients who WANT to get to bed earlier but “just can’t fall asleep,” that they NOT do something stimulating just before bedtime, such as IM’ing with friends, and take a bath or play the piano instead. Try to engage your daughter in conversation about this and try to explain to her that good and steady sleep is essential to her feeling energetic, having good concentration for school, and promoting a cheerful mood.