MENTAL HEALTH & WELLNESS

Fun Facts to know about your middle schooler and sleep:

·       Adolescents are children between the ages of 13-18

·       Adolescents should be getting 9-9.5 hrs. of nightly sleep  

·       Younger Middle Schoolers should be getting between 9-10 hrs. of nightly sleep

·       How much sleep are adolescents actually getting?  7-8 hrs. of nightly sleep  

·       The majority of adolescents are sleep deprived

·       Sleep deprivation impacts every aspect of a child’s functioning:  mood, behavior, focus, cognitive ability, academic performance, athletic performance

·       Adolescent sleep schedules shift after puberty by approximately 2 hrs…. So, your child who used to be able to fall asleep at 9pm, now is not feeling sleepy until 11pm.

What can you do as a parent to establish and maintain the best sleep habits for your child?

·       Monitor the nightly bedtime routine:  same time, same place, same space

·       Help your child to manage their evening activities allowing for a consistent bedtime routine: homework completion, extracurricular activities, unplugging from tech at least 30 minutes before lights out, peaceful hobby prior to sleep—reading, listening to music, drawing, writing…

·       Don’t allow for over-booking and under-sleeping