If you are the parent of a teenage child you might possibly be wondering if there is something amiss with your son or daughter’s sleep clock. After staying up until 2:00 a.m., your teen will drag himself off to school, looking the worse for wear. You may also hear from a teacher that he frequently falls asleep during class. When Saturday finally rolls around, you are relieved that your teen can rise on his own schedule - often past noon.
If you suspect that your teen’s brain is somehow wired differently, you are partially correct. Researchers have discovered that the natural rhythm of a teenager’s brain keeps her awake later than the natural rhythm of the adult brain. This would be fine if school started at 10:00 a.m. instead of an average two hours earlier. Falling asleep at midnight, and having to get up at 7:00 means that the average teen is chronically sleep deprived.
Melatonin is Part of the Story
An hour or so after darkness falls, the pineal gland at the base of the brain begins to secrete a hormone known as melatonin. This hormone helps us to fall and stay asleep. In the adult brain, melatonin levels usually begin to rise between 9:00 and 11:00 p.m., and remain elevated until pre-dawn. As soon as the brain detects light, the pineal gland stops secreting melatonin. In response to this drop, we wake up and become alert and ready to face the day.
When teenagers were studied in a sleep laboratory, researchers discovered that their pineal glands began to produce melatonin closer to 1:00 a.m. It is therefore hardly surprising that teens often take until noon to become wide awake and ready to face the day. Their brains simply don’t behave in the same way as an adult’s brain.
In fact, so sleep deprived is the average teen that many psychologists feel the mood swings and grumpiness associated with the teenage years may have less to do with hormones than a response to not enough shut-eye.
Developing Good Sleep Habits
Being chronically sleep-deprived is not conducive to concentrating on schoolwork and achieving good grades. Unfortunately, practising good sleep habits is particularly difficult for teenagers. In addition to their own natural rhythms fighting against going to sleep early, the new “social order” of late night chatting on the computer provides a constant source of bright light to further discourage the production of melatonin.
So what can be done to help your teen feel sleepier earlier and rise more alert?
If your son or daughter recognizes that there is a problem and wants to do something about it, you might suggest trying to reset the body clock. This can be achieved by dimming the lights at night and getting lots of daylight in the morning. Establishing a routine bedtime of 10:00 p.m. or thereabouts, sleeping in a cool room, and turning off all light and sound sources such as the CD player, cellphone, television, and computer can also help reset your teen’s body clock.
Help From a Light Source
The grogginess that teens often feel during the morning is due to the continued production of melatonin. This late secretion of sleep hormone is also responsible for the condition known as SAD or seasonal affective disorder - a state of fatigue and/or depression experienced by many people during the darker months of winter.
People with SAD often experience relief after using a portable light-source unit for 15 to 20 minutes on rising. The bright light suppresses melatonin secretion and stops the sleepy, “low” feeling that makes SAD such an unpleasant disorder to live with. Recently, clinical research has determined that a sleepy teen can reset his or her internal clock by using a portable light source first thing in the morning.
For consistent results, usage should be part of your son or daughter’s normal morning routine e.g. while eating breakfast, checking email, completing homework, etc. This adjustment to your teen’s sleep pattern will also make him feel sleepy earlier on in the evening, allowing him to get to sleep at an appropriate hour on school nights.
The Power of Light Therapy
Light therapy or phototherapy involves the use of a bright light source that emits light into the user's eyes. The light is used during the waking hours, when the eyes are open. In addition to suppressing the production of melatonin, light therapy is also believed to increase the level of serotonin - the “feel good” chemical produced by the brain - in much the same manner as SSRI antidepressants.
Light therapy has been researched at leading institutions worldwide for over 20 years, and is considered completely safe. Treatment usually consists of 15 to 60 minutes of light exposure, as early as possible after waking. The therapy does not interrupt a person’s normal routine and may take place while reading, eating, applying makeup, watching television, working at a computer, etc.
Portable Treatment
Early light therapy devices utilized a fluorescent light source and were large and cumbersome. A smaller, portable light therapy device, the Litebook®, is now available at London Drugs. The Litebook® uses a different form of light source, the white light emitting diode (LED), which requires one-tenth of the power used by fluorescent light sources. The unit emits virtually no heat and, most importantly, the light emitted peaks within the exact wavelength shown to be most effective for suppressing melatonin. This results in a shorter treatment time of 15 to 20 minutes a day. While light therapy is considered safe and effective, it is important that you consult your doctor if you have a history of eye disease, or if you are feeling tired and depressed but have not yet been diagnosed with SAD or winter blues.