Bad mood in teenagers, a problem caused by lack of sleep

Sunrise and instead of a "Good Morning", the teenager returns a grunt accompanied by a grimace of disgust that indicates that he has not taken this greeting well.Breakfast does not improve the thing and the attitude of the young person is that of someone grumpy, a behavior that lasts for the rest of the day and sometimes only solves the weekend.

What happens to this teenager? Has something been done wrong that has made him angry or something happens to him that he does not want to tell us? The answer may be simpler than it seems a priori: the young does not sleep well at night and it is this lack of sleep that causes this bad mood.


Teenage nightlife

A study of the sleep area of Boston University Hospital reveals that this bad mood caused by lack of sleep comes from the nightlife that many teenagers do. Even though many say 'Goodnight'When they get to their room they do not go to sleep but they remain active in many ways: they watch a movie on their computers, they stay talking with their friends through smartphones, they play video games, etc.

All this activity causes a routine in them that often causes the body to adapt to these rhythms of life. Once the organism has adapted to this nocturnal activity schedule, it is difficult for the adolescent to sleep, even at night, since he is not used to it. Ultimately this causes the young person to just rest because of the lack of sleep conciliation and how early the alarm clock sounds to go to school.


Changes in the teenager's sleep

Not only night activity causes the teenager to have a hard time To fall asleep at night. Also the changes that the organism crosses at these ages give this result: "Due to changes in the circadian rhythm, the body's internal clock, which coincide with puberty, most adolescents can not get to sleep much before 11 pm, because Both your waking hour in the morning should be around 8 am, to allow them to have both an optimal amount and an optimal sleep schedule ", explains the doctor Judith Owens, leader of the study that has led to this conclusion.

A study in which an online survey was conducted more than 2,000 students from 12 to 17 years old in Virginia. In this questionnaire the participants were asked how long they slept, if they were sleepy during the day, what time they woke up in the morning and if they were night owls or early risers. The researchers also delved into emotional behavior and thinking skills, as well as other mental health conditions.


The researchers found that around a 22% of adolescents They slept less than seven hours on the nights before high school. Something that affected their rhythm of life since not having rested enough, felt sleepiness and fatigue during the educational day, which could not perform well.

Instill sleep hygiene

To avoid these sleeping problems In young people, it is necessary to instill good sleep hygiene in adolescents so they can rest their sleep. These are some methods to achieve it:

Regular schedules. You never have to alter the sleep routine. It is always advisable to go to bed at the same time and the less alterations the better.

The bed to sleep. In bed you sleep, you do not read, you do not see movies, much less you talk on your mobile. When the teenager goes to his room at night, it must be to get to sleep.

No excitations. It is best to avoid any activity that awakens the body. It is always recommended that before sleep the whole family sits down to chat on the sofa to talk about their day instead of watching a movie or series.

Beware of dinners. A light dinner is recommended to avoid long digestions during the night. Similarly, sugary drinks containing caffeine should be avoided. Drinking water is always the best.

Damián Montero

Video: Sleep Deprivation and its Weird Effects on the Mind and Body


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