The importance of Sleep for Teenagers: How SleepDrops International's TeenSleep & Stress Can Help
The Link between Stress and Sleep in Teens
In teenagers, the prefrontal cortex and cerebellum, the areas of the brain that help to control our stress response and regulate behaviour, are still developing. This means that teens are more likely to experience stress as more stressful than an adult's brain. The prefrontal cortex is also responsible for evaluating risk and understanding the consequences of actions, which may explain why sometimes it seems like your teen acts without thinking.
The Consequences of Sleep-deprived Teens
Research has found that up to 70% of secondary school students are sleeping less than eight hours per night, falling short of the 8-10 hours required for optimal physical and mental health. Research has linked insufficient sleep in youth to learning difficulties, impaired judgment, and risk of adverse health behaviors. Specifically, teens who slept less than six hours a night were twice as likely to report using alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, or other drugs, and driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. They were also nearly twice as likely to report carrying a weapon or being in a fight. Researchers found the strongest associations were related to mood and self-harm. Those teens who slept less than six hours were more than three times as likely to consider or attempt suicide, and four times as likely to attempt suicide, resulting in treatment.
The Importance of Sleep for Learning and Memory in Teens
Researchers from Harvard Medical School and Trent University in Canada have shown that a teen's brain consolidates and practices what is learned during the day during the deep stages of sleep. This means that a great night's sleep for at least 8-10 hours before and after a lesson will greatly help a teen learn a new task, whether it's math, sport, or music.
Critical Nutrients for More Sleep and More Success
Research has shown that teenagers that do sleep the recommended 8-10 hours of healthy sleep are more likely to have stronger mental and emotional resiliency to cope with any pressures, but they also increase their ability to focus so they can learn and perform academically. Healthy sleep also helps teens to perform at their best physically and recover quickly for physical activities, sports, training, or competition.
With this in mind, SleepDrops has created TeenSleep & Stress®, a high-strength supplement containing critical nutrients teens need to support their sleep, mental health, and emotional resiliency so they can live their ultimate life. These nutrients can often be deficient in teens due to their higher growth requirements and fast-paced, active lifestyle and busy days learning. It can be difficult to obtain enough of these nutrients from a healthy diet due to modern-day farming methods and low nutrient levels in our soils, let alone some of the diets of our busy or fussy teens who often rely on junk food, a quick sugar fix, or energy drinks. But even if they do eat well, they just seem to use these nutrients up quickly!
The importance of sleep for teenagers cannot be overstated
Adequate sleep is critical for mental and emotional resiliency, as well as academic and physical performance. However, many teens struggle to get the recommended 8-10 hours of healthy sleep due to their busy lifestyles and the deficiencies in their diets. To address this issue, SleepDrops has created TeenSleep & Stress®, a high-strength supplement that contains the critical nutrients teens need to support their sleep, mental health, and emotional resiliency. To learn more about the ingredients and benefits of TeenSleep & Stress®, and to see how it can help your teenager achieve more sleep and more success, please visit our product page and also feel free to get in touch with our health professionals for more information.