The Dangers of Teen Sleeping Disorders

In some cases, this sleep debt is caused by normal growth processes. Research profiled by PBS suggests that the growth taking place inside the brain tends to shift the action of a teen’s sleep/wake cycle. Instead of feeling sleepy at 9 pm, when a traditional family is heading to bed, teens feel invigorated and awake, ready to take on a new challenge or a new task. These teens tend to feel ready for sleep much later, nodding off at 11 pm or even later. That’s when they feel tired, but when the alarm rings at 6 am, these teens haven’t even approached the amount of sleep they need.

These biologic problems can be compounded by a typical lifestyle of a frenetic teen. During the late hours of the night, these teens might find it easy to connect with their peers via:

• Email
• Cellphones
• Facebook
• Twitter

Each little note they read or send provides them with a ping of adrenaline, and that can also keep them awake long into the night. Some teen boys even play stimulating virtual games late at night, taking in new information and feeling a tingle of stress with each point they score. These teens might also find it impossible to sleep, simply because they’re flooding their brains with signals associated with alertness.

Teens who have complicated lives can also find it difficult to sleep. For example, a study in the journal Pediatrician found that teens who worked more than 20 hours per week tended to go to bed later than their unemployed counterparts, and these working teens also felt sleepier throughout the day. Teens like this are juggling multiple demands at the same time, trying to keep up with homework and studies while keeping an employer and the family happy. Sleep might be the thing that’s sacrificed in a whirlwind life like this.

While teens might struggle with sleep due to all sorts of common and understandable triggers that their peers might share, there are some teens who have specific and individual issues that impact their ability to sleep. Often, these issues involve mental illness.

Teens who have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), for example, find it difficult to control their urge to move.

Their thoughts tend to fly by, and they struggle to keep from acting on an impulse. When the sun sets, these problems don’t just disappear. Teens like this might still struggle to calm their minds, and they might not be able to turn off their thoughts. In a study of the issue, published in 2009, researchers found that having a childhood diagnosis of ADHD was associated with sleep disorders. The quality of sleep for people like this is impaired, and their mental health issues are to blame.

Other mental health concerns, including anxiety and depression, have also been associated with sleep difficulties in teens. In fact, the link is so strong that some physicians routinely look for underlying mental illnesses in young people who struggle with difficult sleep that can’t be explained via biology and lifestyle.

For desperate teens, substances of abuse seem like an ideal solution. Alcohol, for example, can slow down breathing rates and allow clenched muscles to smooth and unkink. A few sips of alcohol might seem like a wonderful way to soothe a restless child into sleep, and teens who do this might tell themselves that they’re only having a nightcap for sleep, just as an adult might.

On the flip side, some substances of abuse can awaken sleepy brain cells and allow an exhausted teen to feel awake and aware, even if very little rest took place in the evening prior. Teens might lean on cocaine, Ritalin or some other stimulant in order to help them stay awake during the daytime, and they might even be praised by adults for their improved behavior, as they might suddenly be able to participate in a way that seemed unlikely before the drug use began.

Drugs of abuse can also, unfortunately, make sleep problems even worse. Alcohol, for example, can reduce the quality of sleep, causing people to wake up multiple times throughout the night. Drunken teens may be able to fall asleep, but the time they spend in bed isn’t restful, and they may awaken in the morning feeling yet more tired. Alcohol can also relax the muscles of the throat, making snoring all the more loud and likely. Ritalin and cocaine can also stay active in the body for long periods of time, meaning impaired teens might still be under the influence when they try to go to bed. These teens might need yet more drugs in the morning since they didn’t sleep at all the night prior.