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Homeschooling Through High School ~ Teens and Sleep

1:50 AM, Sep. 20, 2007

My son suffers from insomnia. I actually think it is beginning to turn around. He seems to be getting better, even in these past few weeks. But last year, I was looking up all sorts of information on teen insomnia. I posted about it on my blog, and thought I'd repeat it here. Just another benefit to homeschooling. I can remember, myself, walking around the first couple of hours in school all bleary eyed, when I was a teen. Teens need their sleep. The bus came for me by 7 A.M. Well, here's my previous post about teens and sleep:

Here's an excerpt. Read the rest of the article HERE.

Teenagers returning to school for the academic year need to take specific steps now to tune their unique sleep needs with the demands of the school year, urges the National Sleep Foundation (NSF).

With puberty comes a delay in the timing of teens' internal body clocks, or circadian clocks, which regulate sleepiness and wakefulness. Teenagers aren't able to fall asleep until at least 11 p.m. or later, and awaken later in the day. Typically, they also need more sleep than their younger siblings and their parents -- about 9 hours and 15 minutes. Shifting to an early morning school schedule is difficult for adolescents after summer vacation, when most teens go to bed very late and "sleep in," a pattern that more closely resembles their internal clock than the school year schedule.

"Because of their unique sleep needs, teenagers' brains are not ready to be alert until long after the typical high school day has already begun," explains Richard Gelula, NSF Executive Director. "Also, researchers have found that even adolescents who get an adequate amount of sleep tend to be drowsy during the mid-morning and alert in mid-afternoon because of their internal clock."

I posted that on my blog Jan. 24, 2006. It brought me some comfort and understanding for what my son was experiencing. Just one more good reason to homeschool my teens!

Deb Turner - Homeschooling from the Heart
The Old Schoolhouse Magazine
Featured Graduates and Alumni

Deb Turner has been homeschooling for 20 years, and is thrilled to have yet another 10 to go. She and her husband, Craig, have 5 children and 3 grandchildren. Craig works as a mechanical engineer, while Deb enjoys raising her children and loving up her grandchildren. She also enjoys writing and gardening.

August 19, 1999, WASHINGTON, DC /PRNewswire/

Adolescents' Unique Biological Sleep Needs Often Conflict with High School Start Times

Posted in Homeschooling Through High School, 5 comments, Link
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Comments
Untitled Comment

1:33 PM, Sep. 20, 2007, posted by quietcajun

Look into melatonin... a natural sleep remedy.

It may be more

8:34 PM, Sep. 22, 2007, posted by snowyowlbooks

Hello! My son was up all night slept all day, running a fever, depressed, complained of pain. After dozens of doctors he was diagnosed with fibromyalgia at the age of fourteen. One of the chief complaints is sleep disturbances. Hopefully it is a passing phase but if it's not definately look into what's causing his problems. I wrote a story detail my long search for answers-
http://www.healthmad.com/Teen-health/Fibromyalgia-in-Teens.44455

Hope the best for you and your son. Feel free to contct me if you have any questions.
Lorilynn

Thanks!!

9:11 AM, Sep. 23, 2007, posted by Prodoceo

Even though we have homeschooled for 16+ years, one of the recent battles with my husband (who is 100% supportive, mind you) is about when the kids (now teens) should get up to do school. When I force them to get up early, they just aren't as productive! If I let them sleep, they ALWAYS get everything done and do it well and without complaint!

That article helped me to understand why that may be true! Thanks!!

Linda
www.homeschoolblogger.com/prodoceo

I think that is a bunch of bunk

6:05 PM, Oct. 6, 2007, posted by Anonymous

Who wrote that article anyway? My teenage daughter doesnt stay up late, she exercises and gets fresh air and does Algebra 2 and Biology and works 1 day a week and does not have to SLEEP in and be LAZY. I think its just the worlds way of allowing wicked behaviour= they can stay up all hours of the night and sleep in late, that is not REAL life. My husband gets up 2am sometimes to go to work, the latest by 6am. That is real life.

A dose of compassion, please?

4:45 PM, Oct. 7, 2007, posted by Pattycake

In response to "Anonymous" who wrote:

"Who wrote that article anyway? My teenage daughter doesnt stay up late, she exercises and gets fresh air and does Algebra 2 and Biology and works 1 day a week and does not have to SLEEP in and be LAZY. I think its just the worlds way of allowing wicked behaviour= they can stay up all hours of the night and sleep in late, that is not REAL life. My husband gets up 2am sometimes to go to work, the latest by 6am. That is real life."

Dear Anonymous,

You are certainly entitled to your opinion. I cannot take it very seriously for a few reasons which I will outline.

1) You didn't let us know who you were, but hid behind anonymity while uncompassionately and rather self righteously yelling works like LAZY in all caps. I am always more likely to take someone seriously if they are to refrain from yelling, and especially if they show a bit of compassion.

2) The compassion I can do without if there is a good, qualified answer forthcoming. This was not a qualified answer, in my opinion. I don't believe you read the article, because I see the link is broken. Perhaps you went to the site and did a search, and did indeed read the article. If so, you would be contradicting yourself, because "real life" is discussed in the article.

"We must encourage schools to push back their start times to at least 8:30 a.m. — a schedule more in tune with adolescents' biological sleep and wake patterns and more closely resembling the adult work day."

See ... "more closely resembling the adult work day."

I know very few adults who need to get up at 2 A.M such as your husband. That is not real life as most know it. My own husband rises at 5:15, and by the end of the week, he is dragging. He pushes on, but he is dragging.

Teens are not adults. Teens have hormones raging through their bodies, which do have a physical affect, sometimes the same as pregnancy has on women. The liver has to deal with all of it, and it becomes toxic - resulting in toxic bodies. I suppose acne is also a lot of bunk. Because teens are really adults, right? There is absolutely nothing different going on in their bodies, physiologically. If you believe that, I have land in Mexico I'd like to sell you.

If you read the aticle you would see that changing the start time of school from before 7 A.M. to 8:30 has had a positive impact on teens' performance overall.

As far as I can see, the studies these articles are based upon concern more than just one student, which is all you claim in your own personal study.

I am glad for you that your daughter is doing so well. You are blessed, indeed. Many suffer, and if you knew up close and personal what it is like, you may not judge so harshly -- and you may have a bit more compassion.

My own son got plenty of fresh air and activity at the family campground we visit in June, every year. It made no difference. He rose early, and went to bed by the 11:30 curfew. But sleep did not come. He was a miserable wreck by the end of the week. It is heartbreaking.

Deb

P.S. The article can now be found here:
http://tinyurl.com/37eznw

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