Question 1

Is there any truth in the idea that teenagers naturally go through a period of time when their sleep clock almost inverts, little night sleep and lots of morning sleep, or is this a complete fallacy?

Colleen Carney · Accepted Answer

Thanks for your question. It is true that teenagers naturally shift later so they get sleepy later and have trouble waking up until later.  If they are not sleeping until the morning hours, this is far too late and there may be other things at play. You want to consider if they are reinforcing too late of a wind-down, too late of a bedtime, and too late of a rise time in the morning.  Are they socializing with others online or on their phone through the night? Are they watching/gaming/reading way into the night so that they are "putting off" going to sleep? If they are not trying to stay awake late but cannot fall asleep until the morning hours, they should get an assessment at an accredited sleep center to rule out a Circadian Rhythm Disorder.   If they are just going to bed and rising a few hours later than usual--this is very natural.

Question 2

I have several teens who can’t sleep due to vivid dreams or nightmares what kind of therapy can I do with them to engage them one is 11 the other 15 both not on medication. Have not experienced trauma.

Colleen Carney · Accepted Answer

Vivid dreams and nightmares can be related to medications or substances such as alcohol or marijuana. It can also reflect lightened sleep so ensuring there is sufficient activity/exercise during the day. Vivid dreams and nightmares don't have a treatment because neither constitute a disorder. The treatment for nightmare disorder, is Imagery Rescripting and Rehearsal Therapy.

Question 3

How bad is sleep deprivation for teens?

Colleen Carney · Accepted Answer

Sleep deprivation is harmful for all ages. The things I worry about are teens sleeping through their classes, teens missing school, and young, inexperienced drivers driving while sleepy.

Question 4

How much time should a teenager sleep at night?

Colleen Carney · Accepted Answer

Somewhere between 8-10 hours, although there are individual differences.

Question 5

Can having too much sleep be harmful to a teenager?

Colleen Carney · Accepted Answer

I love this question: yes. Too much sleep has problems associated with it, just like too little sleep, and this is the case with all adults.  With teens, they tend to have skimpy sleep during the week, but bloated sleep on the weekend to attempt to "make-up" for lost sleep. They can sleep "too much" on the weekend and then have significant problems falling asleep on Sunday night.

Question 6

Is it normal for teenagers to sleep with the light on?

Colleen Carney · Accepted Answer

It is not typical to sleep with the light on, and light can be disruptive for sleep quality. We have found that there is a small percentage of teens and even adults who retain a fear of the dark. Fear of the dark is most common in those who have experienced a traumatic event.

Question 7

Is it good for a teenager to practise polyphasic sleep?

Colleen Carney · Accepted Answer

No. This is a bad idea for anyone. They should use a nap during the week if they are not getting enough sleep during the week but they should be able to get enough sleep on the weekend to skip the weekend nap.

Question 8

How can teens be helped to improve their sleep in order to manage the set hours of their school schedule?

Colleen Carney · Accepted Answer

The focus should be on winding down an hour or two before they intend to sleep. During the wind down, activities that involve devices with blue light should be stopped earlier, leaving other activities that are less stimulating and have less blue light, to occur closer to bedtime.  When they wake up in the morning, using movement and light can help them feel more alert sooner and will help them wake up earlier on subsequent mornings.  On the weekends, if they go to bed later, and rise later, the amount of variation between the weekday and weekends, and the amount of sleep-in, should be kept to a minimum.

Question 9

What are the signs to look out for that my teenager is suffering from insomnia?

Colleen Carney · Accepted Answer

Insomnia is characterized by a complaint of difficulty falling asleep and/or staying asleep, so you would know by the complaint itself.  Sometimes parents worry about sleep but if they aren't complaining about it, they are unlikely to do anything to improve their sleep.

Question 10

Is it possible that your sleep app DOZE may make an adolescents insomnia worse by encouraging obsession with sleep and increase sleep-related anxiety?

Colleen Carney · Accepted Answer

It's always possible that someone could become "obsessed" with their sleep. That said, the strategies are based  on what we understand about the sleep system and how to leverage the system. Anxiety decreased, not increased in those who used it.

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